Fastball

Detroit Tigers' Trade Acquisition Shows Well in First Outing and Joins Rare Baseball History

Charlie Morton gave his new team six strong innings, but it wasn't enough on Sunday night.
Brady Farkas|
Detroit Tigers pitcher Charlie Morton (50) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park on Aug 3.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Charlie Morton (50) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park on Aug 3. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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Detroit Tigers

New Detroit Tigers pitcher Charlie Morton, recently acquired from the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline, showed well on Sunday in his first appearance in a Detroit uniform.

The 41-year-old right-hander went six strong innings, giving up just one run on four hits. He walked one and struck out six, but the Tigers lost 2-0. They now own a 65-48 record and continue to pace the American League Central.

Morton also made some history of the last 20 years with his efforts, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Oldest pitchers with 5+ consecutive strikeouts in a game, last 20 seasons:

5/1/09 Randy Johnson: 45y, 233d
5/9/07 Randy Johnson: 43y, 241d (6)
5/17/23 Rich Hill: 43y, 67d
8/23/09 John Smoltz: 42y, 100d (7)
Today Charlie Morton: 41y, 264d

This was the first time Morton had at least 5 straight K since 8/24/21

@EliasSports

Now in his 18th season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, Orioles, Phillies and Tigers, Morton has gone 145-132 with a 4.07 ERA. He's made exactly 400 starts.

This season, Morton started off slowly, but has rebounded nicely. Though his ERA is still high (5.20), he's gone 7-9 with 107 strikeouts in 107.1 innings.

He's hoping to pair with Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty in Detroit's rotation as they chase the organization's first World Series title since 1984.

The Tigers will be back in action on Monday night when they take on the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park.

First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET as Casey Mize takes the mound for Detroit.

Related MLB Stories

MAJOR CLARIFICATION: Bob Nightengale of USA Today had one report out on Sunday morning regarding Twins-Astros trade talks, and by Sunday night, there was a major edit. CLICK HERE:

TURNER MAKES HISTORY with WALK-OFF: Justin Turner hit a walk-off home run on Sunday for the Cubs, marking the first in his storied career. CLICK HERE:

YANKEES MAKE POOR HISTORY: The Yankees were swept by the red-hot Marlins for the first time ever. CLICK HERE:

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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