Detroit Tigers rookie pitcher Casey Mize said his Major League debut was everything he had dreamed it would be.
Not because there was a crowd hanging on his every pitch (the stadium was empty) or because he led his team to victory (the Tigers lost), but simply because he maintained his composure and focus while competing at the game’s highest level.
He pitched like he belonged.
“There wasn’t really a moment where I felt like I was overmatched or in the wrong place,” Mize said afterwards.
After Wednesdays’ debut there’s little doubt that Mize, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018, is in the right place. Mize ultimately allowed three runs to the Chicago White Sox over 4 1/3 innings, but he struck out seven batters without walk, the first Tigers pitcher in history to do so in his debut. He was the first MLB pitcher since Stephen Strasburg in 2010 to reach that mark.
But the numbers didn’t tell the full story of Mize’s first day.
It was his serenity in the bullpen, his focus on the mound and his competitiveness on every pitch.
“I’m remember in my debut I was a nervous wreck,” said catcher Grayson Greiner. “He was very calm and composed and it was impressive.”
That outward calm and composure was not merely a veneer. It was real, but that didn’t mean that Mize was savoring every moment.
“I’m not going to lie to you. I had a blast out there,” Mize said. “That’s the most fun I’ve had playing baseball ever.”
The first hurdle was the first batter, Tim Anderson, who had hit lead-off home runs three times against the Tigers already in 2020, including Tuesday night against rookie Tarik Skubal, Mize’s friend and teammate.
Mize got him to fly out to right field.
His first career strikeout came on the next batter. Yoan Moncada went down waving at the splitter. That was a good omen. The splitter, Mize’s signature pitch, was working tonight.
“I was really happy with the splitter,” Mize said. “I was really commanding it really well and getting what I wanted out of that.”
The first blemish came in the second inning, when Edwin Encarnacion led off with a solo home run and Nomar Mazara doubled off the wall.
But Mize nabbed Mazara going to third on a chopper back to the mound and struck out Zack Collins, exiting the inning without further damage.
Three innings later, Mize threw Collins the only pitch he truly regretted, a splitter that was just a few inches higher than Mize wanted.
“I left one up to Collins,” he said. “I think he swings through that if I locate that down and bury that like I’ve been doing all game. I think that probably completely changes the inning. So I really hate that I left that up to him.”
A couple of singles later, Mize’s day was done after 73 pitches. In a perfect world, Mize could have finished off the fifth, but in his Major League debut, manager Ron Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson decided not to push the envelope.
“He’s not satisfied, ever. If he gives up one run, he’s not satisfied. That’s what’s made him such a good pitcher,” Gardenhire said. “He was facing a hot team tonight and he handled them pretty doggone good.”
Mize said if he looked downcast in the dugout it’s because the Tigers had just taken the lead with a three-run homer by Jeimer Candelario in the top of the fifth. Giving it right back in the bottom of the inning was not what he had wanted to do.
“I had so much fun and it’s everything I ever dreamed of, but I wish I could have done more for my team, especially after Candy’s big homer,” Mize said. “As a starting pitcher I have to go out there and get a shutdown inning and I didn’t do that.”
This wasn’t a normal start, but Mize did his best to treat it as such in his preparation and pre-game routine.
“Honestly I tried to normalize everything as much as I could,” Mize said. “I tried to stick to my pregame routine and tried to stay focused. I think the time for reflection will be tonight and tomorrow when I come back to the field and get prepared for the next start. Because now I’m right in the middle of this thing and it’s what I’m going to be required to do on a daily basis and it’s everything I ever dreamed of. Before the game I really just tried to stay focused on the task at hand, which is trying to win a ballgame.”
If all goes as planned the next start will be Monday in Detroit against the Chicago Cubs. And if all goes as planned, Mize will treat the second start much as he did his debut.
“I still firmly believe that I’m ready for this level. I did a lot of things well tonight and I was very comfortable out there and very collected and I really feel like I belong,” he said. “The feedback that I got from coaches and teammates I think would reflect that as well.
“It’s where I’ve wanted to compete -- at the highest level -- since I was a kid. All those things just made it so much fun. I really did have a blast and I competed my tail off. Obviously I’m not happy with the total outcome, but I did some things really well tonight that I’m going to build on and continue to do for the rest of the year.”
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