DETROIT -- The last time Casey Mize won a game at Comerica Park, the Tigers¡¯ 2-3-4 hitters were Jonathan Schoop, Robbie Grossman and first baseman Miguel Cabrera. It was July 29, 2021, and the only Tiger from that starting lineup still in the organization is leadoff hitter Akil Baddoo, who¡¯s on the Triple-A Toledo injured list.
As Mize carved through the Yankees lineup on a frigid Monday afternoon that included snowflakes falling at Comerica Park and Yankees bats flailing for six strikeouts over six innings of one-run ball, Mize¡¯s journey to get back to this point came into focus. The former No. 1 overall pick has never placed much value on pitcher wins as a stat, but he acknowledged that this 6-2 victory meant something beyond the stat sheet.
¡°I think we all know pitcher wins aren¡¯t the biggest thing in the world, but if it says my name in the win column, I¡¯m certainly happy about that,¡± Mize said.
Mize was in his first full Major League season when he last won at home, tossing seven innings while allowing an unearned run against an Orioles lineup that included Trey Mancini, Maikel Franco and former Tigers prospect Domingo Leyba. He won one game the rest of that season, then made just two starts in 2022 before suffering an elbow injury that ultimately led to Tommy John surgery and sidelined him until last season. His return last year featured just two wins, both on the road, before he suffered a hamstring injury at midseason.
¡°I have very high expectations for myself, always have, always will,¡± Mize said. ¡°I always expect more out of myself and knew I would get back to being a quality contributor.¡±
Bolstered by his first healthy offseason in three years, Mize won a rotation spot out of Spring Training and has been Detroit¡¯s most effective starter. After shutting down Seattle for 5 2/3 innings with six strikeouts last Tuesday, he flummoxed a Yankees club that entered town with an MLB-best +31 run differential.
¡°I¡¯ve had some good stretches like this in my career,¡± Mize said, ¡°but to start a season like this, it¡¯s really positive, especially against this lineup. ¡ The hitters are telling me that the things I¡¯m trying to do out there are working.¡±
Mize continues to show the high-strikeout form that he lacked last year in his comeback season. Having more velocity with further separation from surgery helps, but his splitter -- which he throws harder now than in any of his other pro seasons -- has become a serious swing-and-miss pitch. It accounted for four of his six strikeouts Monday while keeping hitters wary all afternoon. Meanwhile, he drew 20 called strikes across five pitch types, including seven strikes on what he calls a depth slider that classifies as a slurve on Statcast.
¡°He had everything moving today,¡± catcher Jake Rogers said.
That repertoire was impressive given the elements.
¡°You saw him snap off a couple breaking balls, both styles of breaking balls, and then the split came,¡± manager A.J. Hinch said. ¡°He looked like he could execute his fastball when he wanted to. I think the versatility of his stuff was really key against that lineup.¡±
Even with a 16 mph wind blowing out to left, the Yankees managed one extra-base hit off of Mize, a Ben Rice triple that carried over Manuel Margot¡¯s head in right. Mize pitched around that one-out threat with help from Rogers, who picked off Rice at third after getting a signal from third baseman Andy Ib¨¢?ez.
The Yankees¡¯ lone run off Mize came on Aaron Judge¡¯s two-out single in the fifth scoring Trent Grisham. Mize kept the damage there by fanning Cody Bellinger on a splitter, then retired the side in order in the sixth.
¡°I think the key to beating this team is keeping them in the yard,¡± Mize said. ¡°I tried to throw Aaron a fastball in and get some soft contact. It was not soft contact, but I kept him on the ground and limited the damage there. To be able to flush that and execute to Bellinger was big.¡±
Mize spent half of his outing in a pitching duel with Yankees starter Carlos Rod¨®n, who retired Detroit¡¯s first seven batters in order until Rogers and Ryan Kreidler drew back-to-back walks in the third. Rod¨®n fanned Justyn-Henry Malloy for the second out, but Ib¨¢?ez -- 0-for-11 against lefties to that point -- sat on a backup changeup and crushed it deep to left for his first home run since last August. Malloy padded the lead with his fifth-inning, two-run single, punishing the Yankees for an Oswaldo Cabrera error and Rod¨®n walk.