Fans going off on AJ Hinch for Tigers elimination are missing the bigger picture

Detroit Tigers fans are already calling for manager AJ Hinch's job after the team's heartbreaking loss to the Seattle Mariners in Game 5 of the ALDS. But Hinch’s decision to remove ace Tarik Skubal after six innings and 99 pitches was not the real reason the Tigers lost — and an extra inning from him likely wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the game.

Skubal did his job, and he did it brilliantly. He gave the Tigers everything they could’ve possibly asked for in a winner-take-all game. He was still dominating into the sixth inning, but 99 pitches is right around the danger zone for fatigue – especially for a power lefty whose success depends on maintaining fastball life and slider sharpness.

By the end of the sixth, Hinch had to weigh the risk of diminishing returns. One bad pitch in a 1-1 elimination game could have erased all of Skubal's brilliance instantly.

Even the Mariners made the same “mistake” and survived it. Seattle pulled George Kirby after six scoreless innings and 66 pitches, an even more egregious early hook. Neither manager wanted to let fatigue or lineup familiarity flip the game. The difference? Seattle’s lineup found one more clutch hit deep into extra innings.

So if we’re consistent, calling Hinch’s decision a fireable offense would also mean criticizing Mariners manager Dan Wilson for making the same call – and he won.

Tarik Skubal did his job in ALDS Game 5, but the Tigers' offense didn't

Detroit only scored two runs in 15 innings. That’s the real reason they lost. You don’t win elimination games without run support, no matter how dominant your starter is. Even if Skubal had thrown a seventh – or even an eighth – the Tigers not named Kerry Carpenter still needed to hit. Their lineup went ice-cold after the fourth inning, repeatedly squandering chances with runners on base.

The Tigers’ bullpen, which admittedly lacked depth, pitched nearly nine scoreless innings of relief and wasn’t the problem until sheer exhaustion set in. No starter, no matter how dominant, can cover for an offense that disappears.

This team lost both Skubal starts in the ALDS, and Skubal gave up three runs across 13 innings while striking out 24 batters. Had the offense applied a semblance of pressure in either of those, the Tigers would be in the ALCS right now.