Tarik Skubal said he attacked hitters aggressively for the Los Angeles Dodgers during a September 25, 2026, press conference. “just pitching aggressive and challenging them,” Skubal said of his approach against the San Francisco Giants.
Skubal described aggressive zone pitching and first-pitch strikes as central to his identity and how he evaluates his outings. “I think it's the key to who I am,” he stated.
Skubal acknowledged that his changeup command had not been good in two or three starts, but said it was better over the plate in the outing. He estimated that about 14 or 15 pitches had missed the strike zone by the sixth inning, saying, “there was only like 14 or 15 balls out of however many throws.”
Will Smith backed Skubal in the game, with Skubal noting, “Will was great back there.” Skubal also declined to describe his fastball performance as bullying the opposing hitters because he recognized the wording would make a strong headline: “I'm not going to use that word.”
Skubal said he plans to handle his next start and playoff starts the same way, aiming to put the Los Angeles Dodgers in position to win. “I'm just trying to put our team in a position to win a baseball game,” he explained, adding that once the playoffs begin, the priority is the individual game: “it's just about winning that game.”