TAMPA, Fla. - The Tigers remain undefeated in 2025 with a 4-0 win over the Yankees Sunday afternoon. Dillion Dingler blasted a two-out, two-run homer in the 4th to put Detroit up 3-0, and they never looked back.
After yesterday’s 7-6 walk-off win over the Phillies, the Tigers gave the nod to former number one overall pick Casey Mize.
Mize tossed two innings of shutout ball, which included facing two of the Yankees' big off-season pickups, Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger. Mize was able to catch Goldschmidt looking on a splitter that clipped the outside part of the plate, while Bellinger roped a single to right, giving him his first hit in a Yankee uniform.
Mize finished his day with a three-pitch strikeout on Yankee centerfielder Duke Ellis.
After having a somewhat injury-riddled career to this point and never really competing for a full season, Mize is one of the bigger questions coming into spring camp. Having signed Jack Flaherty and Alex Cobb in the off-season, the Tigers have 3-4 guys competing for the 5th spot in the rotation, and Mize is one of them.
Colt Keith got his first-ever start at first for the Tigers and seen three at bats in which he struck out swinging in the first, but avenged it with a single in the third and a single in the fifth.
The first hit of the day for the Tigers came in the second inning when Jace Jung waited on a sweeper and drove it to the right-field corner. Jung was left stranded after Andy Ibanez grounded out, and Dingler hit into a double play.
Tyler Owens came on in relief for Detroit in the third inning and gave up just one hit, no runs, and one strikeout.
In the top half of the fourth, the Tigers exploded for three runs. Jung and Ibanez hit back-to-back doubles to take the lead, 1-0. After a Trey Sweeney strikeout, Dingler jumped on a heater right down Broadway and hit a 398-foot homer to left.
Southpaw Deitrich Enns took over on the mound for the Tigers in the 4th inning and dominated. Enns threw just eight pitches and recorded three groundouts against Jasson Dominguez, Anthony Volpe, and J.C. Ecarra.
Then came a slew of pinch runners and pinch hitters for both clubs.
For the Tigers, it was Seth Stephenson for Matt Vierling, Andrew Navigato for Colt Kieth, Justyn Henry Malloy for Wenceel Perez, and Thayron Liranzo for Andy Ibanez.
Enns continued on the bump through the fifth inning, serving two Yankees' hitters with strike-three cutters and Oswald Peraza with a curveball that he hit into the ground on. Enns finished with two strikeouts, no walks, and no hits given up through two innings of work.
A hitless sixth inning for the Tigers would then bring us to the bottom half, when former Minnesota Twin righty, Jordan Balazovic, would get the call from the bullpen.
Balazovic would throw two scoreless frames in the 6th and 7th innings and pick up two strikeouts.
In the top of the eighth, Malloy would fly out, and Liranzo struck out. Tiger shortstop prospect, Eddy’s Leonard, would single to right off of a 96 MPH sinker. Leonard would finish 1-2 on the day.
25-year-old Garrett Burhenn, an Indiana native, came on in the bottom of the 8th for the Tigers. Burhenn features a plus fastball that can touch 98. A scoreless frame for the Yankees kept them looking for their first run of the game.
Detroit added some insurance in the ninth when left fielder Austin Murr scorched a double that would bring Carlos Mendoza to the plate and gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead.
Carlos Pena was the sixth and final arm the Tigers used on Sunday. Pena pitched a flawless ninth inning, and Detroit will leave Tampa 2-0 in the Grapefruit League.
The Tigers will return to their spring training facility tomorrow and take on the Toronto Blue Jays at 1 PM.
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