CLEVELAND — Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize remembers the career-changing moment vividly. The fence in the bullpen. The sound of batting practice. The sting of the news.
It was Oct. 4, 2024.
One year ago, the Tigers were taking batting practice at Progressive Field on the day before Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Manager A.J. Hinch and pitching coach Chris Fetter took Mize to the bullpen beyond right-center field, where a fence separates the Guardians’ bullpen on the lower level from the Tigers’ bullpen on the upper level.
In the Guardians’ bullpen, Mize learned he wouldn’t be on the ALDS roster.
“It was tough, but it fueled a lot of my offseason work and the things I wanted to do to get better to never let that happen again,” said Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft. “To have this opportunity a year later in this place is pretty cool for me, just to see that full circle.”
Last October, Mize walked away from the bullpen with heartbreaking news. This October, he is ready to walk to the mound with the baseball in his hand.
Mize will start Game 2 of the Tigers’ AL wild-card series against the Guardians on Wednesday, Oct. 1— the first postseason appearance of his five-year MLB career. A win sends the Tigers to the ALDS against the Seattle Mariners.
“When I’m doing my bands, I look down and I see the spot where I was sitting,” Mize said. “Bad memories, for sure, but it’s cool to walk by now and say that moment and that place helped change the pitcher and player that I am.”
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To get the win, the Tigers picked Mize over right-hander Jack Flaherty for the Game 2 start.
He registered a 2.08 ERA over 17⅓ innings in three starts against the Guardians during the regular season, including a Sept. 16 matchup in which he struck out eight batters while allowing three runs in 5⅓ innings.
Mize has the full support of his teammates.
“I’m very excited to see him go,” said left-hander Tarik Skubal, who allowed one run and racked up 14 strikeouts across 7⅔ innings in Tuesday’s 2-1 win in Game 1. “I’ve got the pleasure of being teammates with him since 2018. We came up together through the minor leagues, rehabbed together when we got hurt in the big leagues. I’ve seen the work he’s put in. I couldn’t be more excited to see him pitch and compete.”
In 2025, Mize posted a 3.87 ERA with 36 walks and 139 strikeouts across 149 innings in 28 starts. He lowered his walk rate to 5.7% (from 6.4% in 2024) and boosted his strikeout rate to 22.2% (from 17.3%), thanks to offseason adjustments to his fastball, splitter and slider.
The hard work paid off with his first All-Star selection in July.
In October, Mize is stepping onto the postseason stage for the first time.
“I joked we could have gone to the same place in the same ballpark and had a completely different conversation,” Hinch said. “I was going around and talking to some of the guys that didn’t know whether they were on the team or not.”
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Mize proved his readiness for the Game 2 start.
He fired 6⅓ innings of two-run ball in Friday’s 4-3 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park, which he described as the biggest game of his life. He struck out eight with no walks and needed just 80 pitches to get 19 outs. The Tigers had a 3-1 lead when Mize walked off the mound with one out in the seventh inning.
“That’s as good as I’ve ever seen him in my life,” Skubal said.
“It was good to see him be able to stay in the moment,” Hinch said.
Entering that Friday start, the Tigers were on the brink of a complete collapse — both in their odds to win the AL Central and to clinch a postseason berth.
All eyes were on Mize.
During the Red Sox start, Mize showed more emotion than ever before in the big leagues. He pumped his fist in key moments, shouted in celebration and bounced off the mound after innings.
“The fastball was legit,” Hinch said. “The split was there. His breaking ball was there. He was in complete control. When we had started that game, our season was still undecided. There was a lot going into that start, and he stepped up.”
On Monday, the day before Game 1 of the AL wild-card series, Hinch found Mize in the training room in the visitors clubhouse at Progressive Field. He even offered to return to the Guardians’ bullpen for their conversation.
“Do you want to walk out to the exact spot where I told you that you weren’t on the roster?” Hinch asked.
“No,” Mize said.
“As soon as I told Casey he was on the roster, Tarik came over and gave him a high-five,” Hinch said. “We had a funny moment there. Then I told him he was going to pitch Game 2. He’s ready to go.”
The good news signified a full-circle comeback.
“I fake-celebrated, you know?” Mize said, smiling.
Before Game 2, Mize will grab his resistance bands as part of his pregame routine and look down at that same spot beyond the bullpen fence, which separates the upper level from the lower level. Only this time, it won’t be a reminder of the bad news that fueled his comeback season.
It will be the start of his postseason moment.
“He’s our guy tomorrow,” Skubal said.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Casey Mize start for Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of AL wild card is full-circle comeback
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
