Detroit Tigers starter Dietrich Enns shines in 8-0 win over Athletics for series victory
Former Central Michigan left-hander Dietrich Enns pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays in September 2021, traveled overseas to Japan and Korea for the next three years, returned to the United States in hopes of an MLB return and joined the Detroit Tigers on a minor league contract in January 2025.
The Tigers promoted the 34-year-old from Triple-A Toledo to start Thursday, June 26, against the Athletics at Comerica Park — his first MLB game in 1,371 days.
Enns guided the Tigers to a 8-0 win over the Athletics, completing five scoreless innings on one hit and two walks allowed with four strikeouts in his 77-pitch performance. He tossed more than four innings for the first time in his 12-game MLB career, including two games in 2017 and nine games in 2021.
RECRUITING UPDATE: Friendly advice: Why Detroit Tigers might not have Gleyber Torres without Gio Urshela
The Tigers (51-31) supported Enns — and won the rubber match of the three-game series — with home runs from Spencer Torkelson and Gleyber Torres.
But Enns set the tone from the first inning.
He retired the first three Athletics on eight pitches: Jacob Wilson on a flyout, Brent Rooker on a groundout and Nick Kurtz on a swinging strikeout.
Enns had just one stressful inning.
It was the third, when Max Schuemann hit a leadoff single and Denzel Clarke drew a five-pitch walk.
Instead of falling apart, Enns won a seven-pitch battle with Wilson for a flyout, which put runners on the corners, then got Rooker to ground into an inning-ending double play with back-to-back changeups at the bottom of the strike zone.
Celebrate 125 epic seasons of the Tigers with our new book!
Everything else seemed easy in the other innings.
Enns retired the final eight batters he faced.
For Enns' 77 pitches, he used 37 four-seam fastballs, 23 changeups, eight cutters, seven curveballs and two sinkers. He generated 13 whiffs on 42 swings for a 31% whiff rate, thanks to seven fastballs, five changeups and one sinker. His fastball averaged 93.1 mph — and maxed out at 94.5 mph.
Not only did Enns miss bats, but he also limited hard contact and kept the ball on the ground. The Athletics averaged an 81.4 mph exit velocity on their 11 balls in play.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
The Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
Torkelson hit a solo home run to left-center off left-hander Jeffery Springs — his first homer since June 10 (and his third homer in June). The 25-year-old hit just .111 with five walks and 10 strikeouts in 10 games between homers.
He has 17 homers in 76 games.
A two-run double from Jahmai Jones extended the Tigers' lead to 3-0 in the third inning.
In the seventh, Torres hit a two-run home run off right-handed reliever J.T. Ginn, making it 5-0.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!' by the Free Press at Tigers125.PictorialBook.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers get gem from Dietrich Enns in 8-0 win over Athletics
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pistons Have ‘Significant Mutual Interest' in Making Big Offseason Move With Free Agent Sharpshooter
Pistons Have 'Significant Mutual Interest' in Making Big Offseason Move With Free Agent Sharpshooter originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Detroit Pistons are coming off one of their better seasons in recent memory. They improved by a substantial 30 wins after finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference the year prior. With a 44-38 record, they qualified for the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2019. Advertisement There were many reasons for their turnaround, starting with the play of their star guard Cade Cunningham. He appeared in 70 games, the most of his career and many of his stats improved. He went from averaging 22.7 points per game in 2023-24 to 26.1 this season, and averaged a career-high 9.1 assists. He was nominated for the Most Improved Player award, but the honors went to Atlanta Hawks' Dyson Daniels. Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports Pistons have "significant mutual interest" in making big offseason move for free agent sharpshooter Another player who contributed to the Pistons' success was Malik Beasley. He averaged 16.3 points per game and shot a career-high 41.6% from 3-point land. As a result, he was nominated for the Sixth Man of the Year award, but the award went to Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard. Advertisement Forbes NBA writer Evan Sidery provided an update on Beasley, who is an unrestricted free agent. "There is significant mutual interest between the Pistons and Malik Beasley on a new contract entering unrestricted free agency," Sidery wrote. While the Pistons went on to lose their first-round series against the New York Knicks 4-2, that year marked the first time since 2008 that the Pistons won a playoff game. If they want this to become a regular occurrence and not prove to be a comet of a season, they'll need to make the right moves in free agency. In addition to Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder are also set to become free agents. With the development of Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey's return, and the team likely wanting 2024 first-round pick Ron Holland to see minutes, Beasley is likely the best bet of the three free agents to be brought back. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Fox News
13 minutes ago
- Fox News
LeBron James exercises Lakers player option for 2025-26 season
LeBron James exercised his player option for the 2025-26 season with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday as he appears to be in the final stages of his lengthy NBA career. Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN about James' decision. The player option is reportedly worth $52.6 million and it will be his eighth season in Los Angeles. James played 70 games during the 2024-25 season. It was the second straight year he played at least 70 games. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game as the Lakers put together one of the more intriguing seasons in recent memory. Los Angeles made the shrewd trade for Luka Doncic that sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. Doncic and James will now have more time to team up and make a play for an NBA championship together at least one more time. The Lakers were 50-32 last season, finishing third in the Western Conference, but were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Paul told ESPN that James wants to win and will be watching the Lakers' moves closely to build a contending roster. "LeBron wants to compete for a championship," he said. "He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeanie (Buss) and Rob (Pelinka) and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career. "We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him." For James, it will be Year 23. He has four championships, four NBA MVPs and 21 All-Star selections. He opened up about how much he has left to give in an interview with The Associated Press earlier this month, crediting his family as one of the main reasons why he's continuing to play. Bronny James is in the Lakers' organization and Bryce James is set to play in Arizona. Zhuri James, meanwhile, has her sights set on volleyball. "They're like 'Dad, continue on your dream. This is your dream. Continue on your focus. You've been here for us this whole time,'" he said. "When you have that type of support... it makes it a lot easier." James also appeared to be intrigued by the possibility of playing with Bryce James as well as Bronny. "At this point of my career, you think about when the end is. That's human nature," he said. "You think: Is it this year? Or next year? Those thoughts always creep into your mind at this point of the journey. But I have not given it a specific timetable, date. I'm seeing how my body and family reacts, too." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chelsea manager calls Club World Cup weather delay 'a joke'
Chelsea advanced in the FIFA Club World Cup on June 28, getting three extra-time goals to defeat Benfica 4-1 in their Round of 16 encounter. Following the victory, Chelsea's manager wasn't in a celebratory mood. Advertisement Enzo Maresca lambasted the nearly two-hour weather delay that interrupted the match at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, describing it as 'a joke,' before launching into broader criticisms of the beleaguered event and FIFA's decision to stage it in the United States. REQUIRED READING: Club World Cup bracket: Schedule, scores, and results for FIFA soccer tournament With four minutes remaining in regulation, and Chelsea leading 1-0 courtesy of a Reece James free-kick goal in the 64th minute, the match was paused due to lightning in the area. It led to a 113-minute delay, with officials waiting for a storm to pass through the area. The match ended at 8:38 p.m. ET, more than four-and-a-half hours after it began. After just one goal between the teams before the delay, Chelsea and Benfica combined for four goals the rest of the match. Benfica's Ángel Di María converted a penalty kick in stoppage time to tie the game and send it into extra time. In the second 15-minute period of extra time, Chelsea scored three goals in nine minutes, with Christopher Nkunku's 108th-minute goal serving as the game-winner. Advertisement 'After the break, the game changed completely,' Maresca said after the match when asked about the difficulty of the lengthy delay and its effect on the game. 'I think for me, personally, it's not football. It's already seven, eight, nine games that they suspended. It's a joke, to be honest. It's not football. It's not for us.' 'You cannot be inside (for that long). I can understand that for security reasons, you are to suspend the game. But if you suspend seven, eight games, that means it is probably not the right place to do this competition.' REQUIRED READING: FIFA Club World Cup group stage sees lack of fans attending games across USA With the win, Chelsea will take on Brazilian club Palmeiras at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on July 4 in the quarterfinals. Advertisement As Maresca noted, the Club World Cup has been beset by a slew of weather-related stoppages that have disrupted the flow of matches. Chelsea's win became the sixth Club World Cup game, and first of the event's knockout stage, to be subjected to a weather delay. It was Benfica's second experience with one, as its 6-0 win against Auckland City on June 20 in Orlando was held up by thunderstorms for two hours. It's one of several problems the Club World Cup has endured. Ticket sales and attendance have lagged throughout the event, with photos of half-full or largely empty venues circulating on social media. The official attendance for the Chelsea-Benfica game was 25,929 in a stadium with a seating capacity of nearly 75,000. The 48 group-stage games of the tournament had a combined one million empty seats. Those woeful crowds and persistent thunderstorms have raised questions and concerns about next year's World Cup, which will be held across 16 cities in North America, 11 of which are in the United States. Seven of the U.S.-based venues are outdoors and lack retractable roofs, leaving them vulnerable to the thunderstorms that are common across the country during the summer months. Advertisement 'It's a fantastic competition,' Maresca said. 'It's a Club World Cup. It's top. We are happy to be in the last eight. We are happy to win all these kind of things. But something happens, six, seven games suspended, probably the one[s] that they decide, they need a reason, because it's not normal to suspend a game. In a World Cup, how many games are suspended? Zero, probably. In Europe, how many games? Zero. We are here, two weeks, they're already suspended six, seven games. There is some problem for me, personally.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chelsea manager calls Club World Cup weather delay 'a joke'
