No, the 24-year-old right-hander did not hit one of the towering home runs that has marked Cabrera’s career.
But he did show that his bat flip ranks right up there with the future Hall of Famer’s.
In his first Major League plate appearance, Mize drew a four-pitch bases-loaded walk from Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty that elicited a veteran-level flip. Mize followed it up with a bow-and-arrow gesture to the Tigers’ bench, much to the delight of his teammates.
The smiling faces in Detroit’s dugout told a bigger story.
While winning cures many an ailment, and the Tigers have been doing plenty of that lately, including Tuesday’s 4-3 triumph over the Cardinals, Mize’s walk and the dugout’s response showed the fun the team is experiencing. Whether it is a milestone homer for a superstar or a walk for a pitcher who hasn’t swung a bat in years, they are enjoying the ride.
Mize continued the fun on the mound, shutting out the Cardinals through five innings. He pitched around three leadoff hits while striking out two and walking two.
The start was a positive ending to what had otherwise been a forgettable August for Mize. Entering the game, Mize was 0-1 with a 6.07 ERA over 13 1/3 innings in his three previous starts this month.
Robbie Grossman and Cabrera got in on the fun with back-to-back homers in the fourth. Cabrera’s blast, a 423-foot rocket into the third deck in left field, was his second-longest homer of the season, and it came one game after he hit career No. 500.
Detroit has won three of its last four and seeks a season sweep of St. Louis on Wednesday.