SEC Rivalries are Reborn When Tigers' Mize and White Sox' Dunning Make MLB Debuts
The Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox are letting rookies take the wheel, allowing Tigers' Casey Mize and White Sox' Dane Dunning to make major league debuts Wednesday night in Chicago.
This matchup will be the second time two first-round picks will debut against one another as starting pitchers since the amateur draft began, according to Elias Sports, with the first two being Tigers' Rick Porcello and Blue Jays' Ricky Romero in 2009.
Tigers number two starter, Ivan Nova, was one of the last links holding together Detroit's dissolving starting rotation. After Nova's dismissal to the 10-day injured list, the Tigers coaching staff knew they had to make a change. In came RHP Casey Mize, the No.1 overall pick in the 2018 draft.
Mize comes into Wednesday's game sporting a 3.20 ERA in 2019 Double-A. The Auburn grad has high expectations heading into his debut.
"I always expect myself to put the team in a position to win, so that's what I'm going to try to do. I expect I'm going to have a lot of fun. That's what I'm trying to challenge myself to do is just enjoy the moment, be where my feet are, and just realize that everything I've worked for is happening currently."
The No. 2 prospect received an extremely warm welcome from fellow Auburn alum and arguably the best dual-sport athlete of all time, Bo Jackson. On Tuesday, Jackson took to Twitter to congratulate Mize on the call-up.
Casey Mize will face another former SEC pitcher in White Sox' 25-year-old Dane Dunning, rehashing old rivalries in the process. Who, according to MLB Trade Rumors, "routinely generates big ground-ball numbers, misses bats, and demonstrates above-average control."
The Florida product missed Double-A in 2019 due to Tommy John's surgery; however, he posted high numbers in 2018 with a 2.76 ERA and 10.02 K/9, via FanGraphs.
These starting pitchers will taste the big leagues at Guaranteed Rate Field for Wednesday's matchup at 8:10 PM EST.
