The Historic Tigers' Achievement Only Casey Mize Can Say He's Done

The Historic Tigers' Achievement Only Casey Mize Can Say He's Done

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The Detroit Tigers' series opener against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium Monday night was much more than just another Tigers victory. Not only did manager A.J. Hinch secure his 1,000th career win as an MLB manager, but former number one overall pick Casey Mize made franchise history.

Mize, who has been having a fantastic season with free agency looming, was lights out again for the Tigers on the mound. Redeeming himself from his previous start against New York at Comerica Park, Mize went into Yankee Stadium and made himself the star of the show.

Pitching in seven full innings, allowing just one hit, zero walks and tying a career-high in strikeouts per game with 10, Mize cemented himself in Detroit franchise history as the only player across 126 years of Tigers baseball, he's the first pitcher to throw 7+ shutout innings with 10+ strikeouts, while allowing zero walks and no more than one hit, per Tigers PR on X.

Mize Living Up to 1/1 Status

Mize had some swagger on the mound as well, walking off confidently as Oswaldo Cabrera challenged a called third strike, knowing well that he dotted his slurve perfectly at the bottom of the zone.

As the Tigers continue to consider their options for this year's trade deadline, such as whether or not they'll trade Tarik Skubal, they have to have internal conversations in the front office about keeping Mize in Detroit for the future.

Mize has blossomed over the last two seasons, and while the Tigers could get some top prospects if they were to trade him, they would find more benefit in extending him and giving him the ace role to pair with Framber Valdez, Troy Melton, and Keider Montero alike for 2027 and beyond.

Currently holding a 2.63 ERA with 68 strikeouts, the only downside to Mize's game in 2026 has been his injuries. Having hit the injured list twice, other contending teams' interest level could waver on that statistic alone. But as Detroit knows, when Mize is on, it's difficult to get anything going against him.

In three starts in June, Mize held a 3.63 ERA, which was his highest ERA of the 2026 campaign. His other months' ERA? A 1.08 in three starts in May, a 3.24 ERA in five starts in April, and a 1.50 ERA in his season debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks in late March.

Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.