After 453 days, Alex Lange returns to seal Tigers’ win

Alex Lange was more nervous about last night than his MLB debut.

When the Detroit Tigers’ reliever entered in the ninth inning, it had been 453 days since his last Major League game and 14 months since he underwent right lat surgery in June 2024.

But Lange did his job, pitching a scoreless ninth to seal Detroit’s dominant 10-0 win over the Houston Astros at Comerica Park on Monday night. 

Breaking down Lange’s appearance

Lange had anything but a clean inning vs. Houston. His first pitch—a 95.8 mph sinker—was drilled to left field by Ramon Urias for a single. 

His first out came on a fly ball to left, but Lange then issued a walk and a single to load the bases. However, he struck out Victor Caratini with a knuckle curve below the zone and used the same pitch to induce another fly out that sealed Detroit’s victory. 

“I’m getting goosebumps now reliving it,” Lange said after the game, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. “All the fans down in the bullpen all day saying welcome back is pretty special, and running back in one more time was a lot of fun.”

Alex Lange on his first game with the #Tigers in 453 days: pic.twitter.com/HhO91SrTi5

Lange’s road to recovery wasn’t easy, but he just kept “grinding” until he was ready to return. That included a rehab assignment that spanned 17 games for Double-A West Michigan (2 G) and Triple-A Toledo (15). The Tigers finally activated him yesterday on Aug. 18. 

“You look up 14 months later, you’re back with the boys, and you’re back with the team that you love and care so much about,” Lange, who’s spent his entire 5-year career with Detroit, said. “It’s pretty special. I got a lot of hugs today from a lot of guys. That meant the world to me. I’ll never forget that.”

The Tigers (74-53) continue their series vs. the Astros (69-56) at Comerica Park tonight at 6:40 p.m. ET.