SEATTLE — At the dais after his latest dose of dominance, a reporter asked Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal about the increased usage of his slider. Why was the pitch so effective? Why did he lean on it so much?

Skubal turned toward a media relations representative off to the side.

“Is Dingler coming in here?” he said. “I’d ask him. I don’t know.”

That’s a revealing window into how the Tigers operate, into the level of trust both the organization and its undisputed ace have put in a young catcher playing in his first full major-league season.

“He calls it, and I throw it,” Skubal said of Dillon Dingler. “That’s kind of it. That’s kind of how it goes. There are two shakes a game. The rest are him calling it, and I try to throw it.”

Skubal’s postgame media session after Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series was not the first time a Tigers pitcher has made such a comment. They’ve talked about Dingler leading meetings and game planning sessions, remaining calm in the face of chaos, stepping into a leading role for a team that both tore through the first half and endured a second-half storm that threatened its season.

Now, here in the American League Division Series, there will be plenty of talk about the catcher position. Mariners backstop Cal Raleigh just posted the most remarkable season a catcher has ever produced — 60 home runs, 125 RBIs, above-average defense and an amazing ability to post almost every single day.

The catcher on the other side happens to be pretty good, too. Only five MLB catchers have ever played 1,000 innings in a season without allowing a passed ball. Two accomplished the feat this season.

One is Raleigh. The other is Dingler.

The 27-year-old from Ohio got called up in the second half last season and played in only 27 games. This season, he led Detroit position players with 4.1 fWAR. He ranks near the top of the league in blocking, throwing and framing. He worked to earn playing time, leapfrogging the older Jake Rogers after an April injury. And he never looked back.

“Our pitchers trust him,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “You have to earn that. You can’t just show up, be a big-leaguer, put on a big-league uniform and get that. Inevitably, you have to go out and do it.”

Dingler built that trust through his work. With pitchers like Skubal, it came quickly and easily.

“He can get you out of tough situations when you’re on the mound,” Skubal said. “He calls a great game. He’s right there with you, battling with you every single pitch. As far as a pitcher, that’s all you can really ask for behind the plate.”

Tarik Skubal speaks with Dillon Dingler during the Tigers’ road game against the Rangers in July. (Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)

With a veteran player such as Jack Flaherty, it took some time to work out the kinks, but it blossomed into a symbiotic relationship. Flaherty said Dingler is one of the first players to arrive and among the last to leave. Flaherty has consulted with the catcher between starts, looking for tips to improve. After a run of bad starts, Dingler and Flaherty dove deeper together to find adjustments.

“You see that, and those are the guys you want to compete with,” Flaherty said.

Here in the postseason, Dingler has drawn comparisons to another important catcher in Tigers lore. Detroit last won the World Series in 1984, when catcher Lance Parrish was a quiet gladiator. Dingler is built very much in that mold. He is serious and measured. Strong and stern. Thoughtful without being emotional, competitive without being crazed.

“There’s a great presence,” Hinch said earlier this season. “I wish I could bottle it up and give it to every catcher that we have in our system. Presence matters. Body language matters. The tone in which you receive information or you give information is super important. I think he’s earned that. You have to earn that as a young catcher.”

It is not just his work behind the plate that’s done the talking. Dingler, a player who went through his share of ups and downs in the minor leagues, has exceeded expectations at the plate. He spent part of 2021, all of 2022 and the start of 2023 in Double A, working like many catchers to balance the defensive demands while also honing his hitting.

“I hit well up until I got to Double A,” Dingler said. “Struggled a little bit. Learned a lot about myself as a hitter. And then you kind of turn the page. You find a little bit of success, and you kind of roll with it.”

This season, Dingler has hit .278 with 13 home runs. He hardly slumped all year. He even hit .284 in the Tigers’ terrible September.

Dingler scuffled through the first two games of the Wild Card Series, going 0-for-7 and culpable as anyone for the Tigers’ missed chances with runners on base.

But there in Game 3, with his parents in the stands, Dingler finally connected with a pitch and delivered a decisive blast into the left-field seats. The Tigers took a one-run lead that turned into a 6-3 victory. Facing the team he grew up rooting for, Dingler played the role of postseason spoiler.

“Ultimately, it was very special,” Dingler said. “Closing the door, winning the series.”

This year has been a whirlwind, one that started with Hinch having to assure Dingler he was on the team in spring training. By midseason, Guardians coach Sandy Alomar, a former All-Star catcher, was flexing his arm and pointing at Dingler after an impressive throwdown. By the second half, Dingler was stepping in to keep a frustrated Skubal from arguing with umpires. Now, in Seattle, there are only a select few catchers to stage a better season than Dingler.

He looks across the way at Raleigh with the utmost respect.

“I give a ton of props to Cal,” Dingler said. “He’s in there every single day, both hitting or defense. Gets a lot of DH days. It’s impressive — and he’s not a small human, either.”

But Dingler, too, has posted at a rare rate behind the plate. Only four MLB catchers spent more innings wearing the mask than Dingler this season. Other than Raleigh’s absurd 9.1 fWAR, only Toronto’s Alejandro Kirk accumulated more WAR (4.7) as a catcher than Dingler.

Friday in Seattle, Dingler pulled out his phone to look up how many games he’s played. Before this year, he had never caught more than 82 games in a pro season.

“I think I’m probably approaching 130?” Dingler said.

The real answer is 118 games and 113 starts. But given how frequently Dingler played in September as the Tigers tried to preserve their season — he started 19 of Detroit’s 24 games and at one point caught in 12 of 13 — you can’t blame him for thinking it feels like 130.

Like most catchers, Dingler has a diligent routine to manage his body and stay fresh. Hot tubs and cold tubs, stretching and other work with trainers.

He says the start of seasons actually tends to be harder because his body is still adapting to the grind. In the playoffs, he’s cutting back on some of his workouts and wants to stay healthy and “springy” behind the plate.

This is a massive stage for a player early in his career. But so far, he’s proven capable of handling anything and everything thrown his way.

“He’s emerging as a frontline catcher because of all that work that he’s doing and the credibility that he’s gaining and the trust that he’s already gotten,” Hinch said. “And I love that for him. I love that for any catcher that comes up and can get that immediately. It’s pretty special.”

(Top photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)