The Tigers have been scuffling as of late and are desperately searching for something positive. In this dulling time period of the Tigers season, and in the midst of a rebuild Tiger, #1 prospect Casey Mize sparked some hope for the team in the coming years. He made his AA debut for the Erie SeaWolves on Monday. It was outstanding,  nearly perfect in fact.

Mize dominated the Altoona Curve with 98 pitches, 70 of which were strikes to throw a complete game No-Hitter. If Mize was nervous after plunking the first batter, he settled in quickly as he retired the next 20 batters in a row. After walking a batter in the 7th inning, he quickly settled back in and finished off the Curve in the last two innings. Mize showed command that is rare to see at the AA level. He touched 97 with his fastball to get ahead of counts and then punched out 7 Curve hitters with all off-speed pitches.

Although Mize pitched great he had help from his defense numerous times. There were several hard hit balls to the outfield, but plays by center fielder Derek Hill and right fielder Jose Azocar kept to the hitters off base. For most of the game, Mize had the Curve looking off balance with funky swings.

“The sooner the Tigers bring him up, the better off the team will be,” senior Aiden Dion said. This is a great sign for the team and fans. Everyone hopes to see Mize succeed as his journey through the minors to the big leagues continues.