Casey Mize wasn’t happy with the way his 2022 began.
He approaches all teams the same way, but naturally, the Detroit Tigers’ right-hander feels like he has some extra juice when he faces winning teams, or in this case, the Chicago White Sox for his first start.
After his start, Mize made his disappointment known.
“Execution, gotta get better,” Mize said. “I think you’re going to hear me say that a ton.”
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Detroit Tigers starter Casey Mize pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning Saturday, April 9, 2022, at Comerica Park in Detroit.
The reality is, Mize could have pitched a lot worse. The 24-year-old allowed four runs on seven hits with two strikeouts, pulled after allowing a two-run home run without recording an out in the sixth inning.
It was 39 degrees at first pitch, though Mize won’t blame his performance on the weather. After all, White Sox starter Dylan Cease commanded his fastball and breaking ball en route to five innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts.
The White Sox won, 5-2.
“He’s a really good pitcher,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of Mize. “He’s going to be frustrated because of the way the outing ended. After the first couple of runs, he kept us right in there. We just didn’t do enough to win the game, and they did. That had nothing to do with Casey.”
That’s…