Casey Mize left the Detroit Tigers’ game against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday after a sharp grounder struck his left hand in the fourth inning, forcing an early pitching change in a tied game.
Jo Adell put the ball in play, and Mize handled the moment long enough to get the out at first before immediately grabbing at his left hand. A.J. Hinch then came out of the dugout and removed him, with Drew Anderson taking over while the game stood 1-1.
Mize had already worked 3⅓ innings, allowing one run on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk. For a pitcher who was still in the middle of his outing, the problem was not the pitch count or the scoreboard. It was the hand, and the way he reacted the instant the throw was made.
That sequence leaves the important question hanging over the rest of the day: whether the right-hander can avoid missing more time. The Tigers did not get that answer on Sunday, only the sign that they had to turn to another arm while Mize walked off after a play he had already finished.
The injury also lands in a larger rotation picture for Detroit, where Keider Montero had recently moved back into the starting mix and every healthy start matters. Mize’s line showed he had been effective enough to keep the game close, but the left hand ended the outing before it could become something more.
If there is relief for Detroit, it is only that Mize stayed on the mound long enough to complete the play himself. If there is concern, it is that a ball hit hard enough to force him out immediately after the throw rarely feels like a routine ending.
