DETROIT — The bullpen gates swung open and out came Tarik Skubal, stepping onto the field he called home for the first seven seasons of his career.It’s a field he’s paced before a start countless times. It’s where he won his first major-league game, one day shy of six years to the date. It’s where he punched his 1,000th career strikeout last July in what would ultimately be his final start as a Detroit Tiger. All that’s transpired in between? Just two American League Cy Young awards, two ERA titles, one Triple Crown and one heck of a story.A.J. Hinch said it best, hours before Friday’s first pitch.“The first sight of (Skubal) in a different uniform is completely foreign,” the Tigers manager said. “He’s been in the English D at every level of his life since he’s been a pro and now we look up and it’s Dodger blue. And so that I think was just weird and unique and different and emotional in its own right.”Up until earlier this month, the Tigers were all Skubal had ever known. But nothing about Friday’s pregame routine felt familiar. Skubal arrived on the visiting team’s bus, stored his things in the visiting team’s clubhouse and finished his pregame routine in the visiting team’s bullpen. Skubal is a Los Angeles Dodger now, an instrumental force in their quest for a third straight World Series title. He’s embraced his new organization, but that hasn’t lessened the impact he feels from his old one.Roughly 20 minutes before Friday’s first pitch between the Dodgers and Tigers, Skubal fired off one last warm-up pitch and began his trek back to the dugout. Seemingly on cue, the scoreboard at Comerica Park turned to a tribute video. Fans stood up and delivered a standing ovation as Skubal walked across the field. He peered over his shoulder several times, watching the montage of highlights as the applause grew louder.By the time he reached the infield, tears had welled in his eyes. Skubal pumped his chest and acknowledged a teammate across the field, then wiped his eyes with a towel draped over his shoulders. As he approached the dugout, he clapped his hands in gratitude, in unison with a stadium doing the same. He continued to blink back tears as he descended the dugout steps. Thankfully, he said, he made it out of sight and into the tunnel before more could fall.“This is a place I’ve known my entire career since 2018,” Skubal said. “Yeah, it was special.”