Handshakes, Laughs and Some Human Moments of Tarik Skubal’s Day One in Los Angeles

He didn’t arrive like a famous person. He arrived like a man exhibiting as much as a brand new job.

Black T-shirt, black pants, a small black backpack. Tarik Skubal walked into Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon the best way anybody would possibly stroll right into a constructing they’d by no means been inside earlier than: taking it in, wanting round, determining the place issues are.

Less than 24 hours earlier he had been a Detroit Tiger, preventing again tears in a Sacramento car parking zone whereas reporters waited for him to search out phrases. Now he was right here, in Los Angeles, and the Dodgers’ dwelling white jersey along with his quantity — 29, identical as at all times — was already hanging in his locker.

What occurred subsequent, captured in 39 seconds of video posted by the Dodgers to social media, appeared nothing like a pennant race transfer. It appeared like a starting.

“Does Freeman Have All the Records on This One Too?”

The first greeting got here from a participant whose title the video doesn’t give us — a hand clasp and a hug, heat and simple, with the phrases: “Nice to meet you. Glad you’re here.” Skubal replied merely: “Yes, thank you.”

Then he saved strolling, and that is when the video reveals one thing.

Moving via a room, Skubal spots one thing off to his proper and factors at it. He asks, to nobody specifically: “Does Freeman have all the records on this one too?”

An unidentified voice: “Yeah, pretty much.”

Laughter, off-screen. Skubal smiles. A second voice gives: “He has it everywhere. He has records in Cleveland.”

The digicam pans to indicate the topic of the trade: a Golden Tee PGA Tour arcade cupboard on one facet of the room, a determine mid-swing seen on the display screen.

Freddie Freeman’s dominance of the Golden Tee machine just isn’t a secret round baseball. In 2024, Baltimore infielder Jackson Holliday known as Freeman “unbelievable at it” and challenged him to an offseason match. The excessive scores apparently journey with the Dodgers from metropolis to metropolis.

Skubal has been a Dodger for roughly at some point. He has not but placed on a recreation uniform. He has not thrown a single pitch. And he already is aware of the lore.

He just isn’t nervous. He just isn’t overwhelmed. He is already dwelling.

“Great Job Yesterday”

The video cuts to a hall close to a stairway. Off-screen, a voice: “Hi, teammate.”

It is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, smiling. The two males — the Dodgers’ incumbent ace and their newly arrived one — method one another and trade a hand clasp and a brief hug. Skubal speaks first.

“How’s it going. How are you? Great job yesterday.”

Yamamoto: “Thank you.”

Skubal: “Good job.”

The element issues. Yamamoto had began Saturday — the day earlier than, recreation two of the Red Sox sequence. Skubal had been elsewhere when that recreation was performed, already a Dodger in title if not but in uniform, and he had seen. His first phrases to his new rotation-mate are a praise on the beginning. He got here ready. He got here paying consideration.

The Locker Room

Back inside, among the many fast greetings and handshakes, two stand out.

Shohei Ohtani — a hand clasp and a quick hug. Ohtani was within the beginning lineup that afternoon, batting leadoff as designated hitter, managing via left knee and proper biceps accidents which have saved him off the mound for weeks. He was in full recreation preparation when Skubal arrived. He stopped anyway.

Two males who will make Dodgers historical past — the franchise has by no means earlier than had a reigning two-time MVP and a reigning two-time Cy Young Award winner on the identical roster — met with a handshake in a locker room earlier than anybody within the constructing had thrown a pitch.

Miguel Rojas was holding a baseball bat when he gave Skubal his hug. That element tells the story of what sort of day it was. The Dodgers had a recreation to play. The clubhouse was at work. And nonetheless, one after the other, they stopped what they have been doing.

“Kind of Leans Me Out”

The greatest second got here final.

In the dugout, coach John Roberts noticed Skubal and his greeting was the warmest of all — “Hi, Tarik!” — pulling him right into a full, enveloping hug. “Welcome buddy. How are you doing?”

Then the video cuts. They are standing nose to nose now, a couple of toes aside. Skubal is in uniform — Dodger blue, although not a recreation jersey. Roberts has his fingers on his belt. He seems to be Skubal up and down.

“You looking good in Dodger blue.”

Skubal glances down at himself. He reaches for the hem of the shirt, brushes it calmly. He is already smiling when he says it: “Kind of leans me out.”

Roberts: “It kind of leans you out.” He gestures towards Skubal, then towards himself, then raises his hand to his mouth, nonetheless grinning. “I didn’t want to say that.”

Skubal: “I know.”

Roberts lets out a whoop. Skubal breaks into a quick chortle. Roberts pulls him in for a second hand clasp and hug and says as he does it: “Hey, good seeing you. We’ll get you working.”

The video cuts.

Meanwhile, His New Team Lost

Thirty-nine seconds, in fact, just isn’t a day.

While Skubal was assembly his teammates, his teammates have been getting swept. The Boston Red Sox received 8–4, finishing a three-game sweep of the Dodgers at dwelling, with Masataka Yoshida, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu all going deep. A separate picture circulated throughout the recreation of Skubal in what seemed to be an animated dialog with supervisor Dave Roberts within the dugout — one beat author described it as Skubal “spilling hot tea” — although the content material of that trade was not reported.

It was, for the file, Skubal’s introduction to life as a Dodger: a packed clubhouse, well-known teammates doing well-known issues, a loss that stings with out ending anybody’s season, and a flight to Chicago tomorrow.

Before the sport, Dave Roberts had stated: “This was a different year, in the sense that it was Skubal or nothing.” Andrew Friedman stated the entrance workplace acts when a participant is out there who can “really shift championship odds.” Mookie Betts stated: “We want to win. That’s the whole point.” Freddie Freeman known as it “special to be part of.”

All of that’s true, and all of that’s the context. But the video is the story.

A person in a black backpack walks right into a constructing. He asks who owns the arcade machine excessive scores. He compliments the man who began yesterday. He meets two of the very best gamers on the planet with a handshake. And then he makes a coach chortle about his shirt.

Tuesday at Wrigley Field is when the work begins. Sunday was just the start of the whole lot else.