It was an inauspicious debut for Tarik Skubal. The 23-year old Kingman native was the starting pitcher for Detroit when the Tigers battled the White Sox in Chicago Tuesday.

Red hot leadoff hitter Tim Anderson mashed a homerun off Skubal who then surrendered back to back hits before settling down to get out of the first inning trailing 1-0. Skubal gave up three more earned runs in the second before exiting the game in the third.

Friends and family who flew to Chicago were shown on television while they watched the game at a local establishment as stadiums are closed to fans during the pandemic. Father Russ Skubal spent a couple of minutes with the Tiger broadcasters speaking about Tarik’s youth and playing sports with his brothers in Kingman.

Skubal battled through Tommy John surgery early in his young career and he’s currently recovering from the coronavirus. Skubal is expected to make his second start Sunday against the Cleveland Indians.

• -Dave Hawkins