On his ninth pitch of the at-bat, 34th pitch of the inning and 82nd and final pitch of the afternoon, Casey Mize sizzled a 96 mph fastball under the hands of Luis Arraez.
A year ago, that fastball is 93. It's closer to the heart of the plate. And Arraez rips it down the right field line for a bases-clearing double -- or sends it into the seats for a grand slam. A year ago, Mize walks off the mound a pitch or two away from a solid outing.
Not this year. At least not Tuesday. With the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth, Mize made the pitch he needed. It wasn't perfect. It didn't blow Arraez away -- he launched it high and deep to left center. But it was just firm enough and just tight enough to keep him in the yard. The ball settled into the glove of JaCoby Jones on the warning track and Mize walked off the mound with a pump of the first.
"He did really well," said A.J. Hinch. Threw the ball great. And if it hadn’t been where we’re at in the calendar, he had plenty left in the tank to go another inning."
As it was, the Tigers will take it. In his first start of the year, Mize held the Twins to one run over four innings. The same Twins team -- almost the exact same group of hitters -- that clubbed him for 11 runs over 11 2/3 innings in three starts last year. But this wasn't the same Mize. This was more like 'the old me' he promised, only with some new fire in his arm.
Mize lived in the 93-94 mph range last season with his three high-velo pitches: four-seam, two-seam, sinker. Of the 41 high-velo pitches he threw on Tuesday, 34 were 95 mph or above. And he ramped it up deeper into counts. Mize threw five pitches that exceeded 95 mph with no strikes or one strike, compared to 11 -- including all five of his 97 mph offerings -- with two strikes.
Which wasn't lost on Twins manager Rocco Baldelli.
"When things got tough today, he continually made good pitches and was able to lock in," Baldelli said. "We had some good at-bats against him and put him in some spots where we forced him to beat us in the zone, and at times he did. I think that's huge for a young pitcher."
Stronger is one thing. Mize also looked smarter. He looked like he learned. The Twins loaded up on left-handed hitters against him in 2020, and those hitters combined to go 10-31 with three homers. Mize held lefties to 2-8 with three strikeouts in the first rematch of 2021. That was the result of pitching to a plan, including whiffs of Arraez and Max Kepler in the first inning.
"Arraez has a hole with the back-foot slider, which is where we went to him. And you can get Kepler to chase up, and we did that to him as well," said Mize. "Was super happy with the execution there."
There were moments later that Mize would lament. He still wasn't as efficient as he'd like. Two walks in the fourth turned things into a grind and cost him the chance to return for the fifth. He averaged 16 pitches through the first three innings, but more than 20 per inning by the end of his day. He let too many hitters linger.
But that's what good hitters do. Mize learned as much last year. He needed one more out to complete five innings in his final start of the season, Sept. 23 in Minnesota. With a man on first, Eddie Rosario worked the count to 3-1 then blasted a 93 mph sinker into the seats, and that was it for Mize.
Arraez worked the count to 3-1 on Tuesday. This would be it for Mize. He poured four straight fastballs in the zone, climbing from 94 to 95 to 96, and Arraez fouled them off. Mize reached back and got him with the fifth, the difference between a good day and a bad one. He'll have better days this season, because he's a better pitcher to start.
"We think we have a good lineup, and he did not pitch passively," said Baldelli. "He attacked the zone and pitched a good ballgame. He has good stuff. Like a lot of young guys, he's working, but he has all the ability in the world. I wouldn't be surprised if he’s one of the better starting pitchers in baseball in time."