DETROIT -- The last and only previous time Dietrich Enns started in the Major Leagues, future Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer was on his left playing first base, and the Brewers lineup he faced included Ryan Braun and Domingo Santana. That was his MLB debut with the Twins on Aug. 10, 2017 at Milwaukee, where he got an infield single at the plate but a no-decision on the mound.
“I had to hit [batting practice] and stuff,” he recalled. “I was new to the whole [organization' because I had just gotten traded over there [from the Yankees for Jaime Garcia]. It felt a little bit different.”
The last time Enns picked up a big league win, he struck out then-Tigers Jeimer Candelario, Eric Haase and Dustin Garneau over four innings of one-run ball for the Rays to outpitch Detroit starter Tyler Alexander. That was Sept. 16, 2021 at Tropicana Field.
Enns has had a long journey since then, two seasons in Japan, another in Korea, before coming back on a Minor League deal with Detroit. But as he shut down the Athletics for five innings of one-hit ball in an 8-0 Tigers win Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park, it was well worth the 1,371 days between big league appearances.
Enns' 2,877-day gap between starts is one of the longest this century, trailing longtime Major League closer Jim Johnson, who went 4,427 days between starts from July 29, 2006, to Sept. 11, 2018.
“But who's counting,” Enns said with a smile.
This was always the goal, Enns said, even when he took his game halfway around the world. However long it took, in time or distance, he wanted to get back to the big leagues. He took lessons from overseas, just as he did from the Tigers’ pitching department in Spring Training.
As he took the mound, he tried to fall back on his routine to keep his emotions in check, even if the a couple dozen friends and family who made the drive from his hometown of Frankfort, Ill., and former Central Michigan teammates from around the state and the Midwest could not.
“Very excited,” his younger brother, Daniel, told FanDuel Sports Detroit. “We were all the way up here [emotionally] the whole time, but for him, it’s another day. He’s been doing this [for Triple-A] Toledo all year.”
The Tigers called up Enns for what could be a spot start before Reese Olson’s return, rewarding Enns for a 2.89 ERA and 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings over 14 starts with Toledo. The 34-year-old took his fastball-changeup combination, flipped some curveballs and made it work against an A’s lineup that included just four hitters who were active in the Majors when Enns debuted in 2017, and in front of a Tigers defense that included four players who weren’t active when Enns last pitched in the Majors.
“I told him before the game, ‘If we can just mix [pitches] from the start, we’re going to have a really good day,’” catcher Jake Rogers said. “And he did a really good job of just being in the zone with all his pitches and giving me the reins. He kept them off-balance going in, up, down if he needed to, changeups down. He was in the zone with everything, which makes it a lot easier.”
The changeup is partly a Tigers creation, a “kick change” that combines the spin of a traditional changeup with the movement of a splitter. He had a 40-percent whiff rate with it against Triple-A hitters, and he got five whiffs on 14 swings with it Thursday, setting up his fastball for seven more.
“Early in Spring Training, they were like, 'Hey, try this out,'” Enns recalled. “And then [pitching director] Gabe [Ribas] brought the idea to me and started me working on that. I really liked the shape right away, and then they just gave me some confidence to go out there and throw it. That really helped a lot.”
Max Schuemann’s third-inning ground ball to short was Enns’ lone hit allowed. He walked Denzel Clarke after that to create a scoring opportunity, but escaped with a Brent Rooker double play. The lone Athletic to hit a ball to an outfielder off of Enns was Jacob Wilson, who flew out to right field twice. Their 11 balls in play averaged just 81 mph in exit velocity.
“That was incredible,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “Good for him, and obviously good for our team and good for the organization. A lot of people contributed to this moment, but Dietrich stayed under control, stayed within himself from all the excitement and delivered a great performance when we really needed it.”
It was so good that he’s sticking around. If Olson returns as expected, Enns will move to the bullpen.
“When I signed with the Tigers, I envisioned this as a possibility,” Enns said. “I'm just happy that it's happening.”