From club ball to the Majors, Lee's journey as memorable as his debut

DETROIT -- The phone rang in the Tigers’ bullpen as a pitching duel between Jack Flaherty and Nick Pivetta shifted to a battle of bullpens. The top of the Padres’ batting order was due up in the eighth, and San Diego had a stretch of right-handed hitters after Gavin Sheets, starting with All-Star Manny Machado.

Chase Lee thought that might be his spot for his Major League debut. He didn’t expect it in a close game, let alone with Fernando Tatis Jr. on base and the Padres looking to break the game open.

“I think there was more [nervousness] than I could feel,” Lee said after the Tigers’ 2-0 loss. “I didn't really realize it until the first pitch, and it was pretty erratic. After that one, I tried to slow the heart rate down a little bit.”

Catcher Dillon Dingler aimed his mitt over the heart of the plate. The first pitch Lee slung from his sidearm delivery never got close. Dingler put his mitt in the same spot, and Lee got it there, this time sending Machado whiffing. Next pitch, and Machado whiffed again.

With Machado in a 1-2 count, Chase Lee went to the sweeper that fits his name, a Wiffle ball type that spun at 3122 rpm as it veered off the plate.

Somehow Machado got a piece of it. But Lee could say the same for his lunging grab, earning him an inning-ending double play.

To say this was a dream come true for the 26-year-old would be partly accurate.

“Honestly, I tried not to dream about it too much,” Lee said before the game. “Growing up, this was never reality for me. I didn't have the opportunity to play collegiate baseball [right away] -- I walked on. So this has been free baseball since then. I really never expected this opportunity, and so I just tried to take it as it came and not put too much expectations or pressure on it.”

Lee enrolled at Alabama as a regular student for academics, earning a degree in aerospace engineering. He spent his freshman year on the school’s club baseball team and earned NCBA All-America honors, going 7-0 with a 0.21 ERA in 2018. He also earned a shot to walk onto the Crimson Tide the next year. In three seasons, he set a career record for a Tide reliever with a 1.87 ERA, and earned a sixth-round pick by the Rangers in the 2021 Draft.

He quickly climbed the Rangers system but seemed stuck at Triple-A Round Rock. Then Texas flipped him to Detroit at last summer’s Trade Deadline for Andrew Chafin.

“[Career] trajectory changed immensely,” Lee said. “I don't know what Texas' plans were for me, but it definitely felt like I was at a roadblock with other qualified pitchers on the roster.

“I was really happy with my time there. They were great. I learned a lot. And then to come over here was just a fresh start, new faces, new names, new people to input, to talk to you. So that was a really good change. I think just having a new environment helped out just as much as any tweak or change that we did.”

Lee’s funky delivery stood out among the many pitchers in Tigers camp this Spring Training. He had a couple of rough outings at Triple-A Toledo, where he shared a bullpen and a campground with Chafin. When the Tigers wanted another bullpen arm Tuesday for some righty-heavy lineups ahead, Lee was the guy.

“He’s a different look for guys,” manager A.J. Hinch said, “especially those that haven’t seen him.”

The Padres got their first look Tuesday, and Lee was a handful. After the double play, he stayed in for the ninth and got a dribbler from Xander Bogaerts before loading the bases on two walks and a hit-by-pitch. With two outs and Padres rookie Mason McCoy up, Lee -- his adrenaline racing -- pounded the outer edge with sweepers and fastballs before sending McCoy flailing as another sweeper dove off the plate.

Dingler met Lee midway to the dugout with the ball from his first Major League strikeout. Teammates lined up at the steps.

“I think the dugout was really happy for him and celebrated a little bit,” Hinch said, “despite where we were in the game. With our backs against the wall, that was a really cool moment for our team.”

Said Lee: “Obviously, I wish we could've pulled it out and gotten the win. The guys were so excited for me. Getting to watch them experience that for me, it was fun to watch their reactions as well as to get to enjoy the moment myself.”