To set up Justin Verlander's magical day − one final start in Comerica Park − the Detroit Tigers had to juggle their roster.
They optioned Andrew Sears and moved Kerry Carpenter to the 60-day injured list on Saturday, Sept. 26. That will allow Verlander to be moved from the injured list to the active roster, so he can start against the Pittsburgh Pirates
on Saturday − his final game before retirement.Sears, 24, made his MLB debut on Aug. 23. He pitched in six games and had a 7.11 ERA for the Tigers.
"I'm really impressed by Andrew Sears and what he has to offer," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "He's got a lot to work on this winter, and he got his first taste of the big leagues. We saw glimpses of exactly why he has come through the system in kind
of a dynamic way, where it's real stuff. It's an energetic delivery. There's an intense competitor in there. There's some velo. There's a unique look, and then execution becomes really key for him. He's got to tighten up some of his secondary pitches, but I think this experience will just fuel his winter on trying to make our team next year."
In 19 innings of work, Sears struck out 15 with eight walks.
"He skyrocketed from Double-A to the big leagues with only a stint or two in AAA," Hinch said. "It's just an eye-opening experience, and he's going to absorb all that, from replaying some random walks or a misfire in the middle of the plate that ends up over the fence. Some of the damage that he gave up is not indicative of him not being good enough. It's just the execution is heightened when you get to this level. So there's no other level to practice that or to experience that until you get to the big leagues. So his stuff is good enough. His makeup is really enjoyable behind the scenes and competitively on the field, and he's got a bright future."
Sears is being moved to the Lakeland in the Florida Coast League.
But that's just a technicality.
"It's going to say the FCL, and that's because it's the only place that's active right now," Hinch said. "So we're not actually sending him to the complex."
The Tigers are expected to make another transaction on Sunday, clearing space for Jack Flaherty to pitch in the final game of the regular season.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers set up Justin Verlander's final start by sending out rookie pitcher
