Former Auburn pitcher Casey Mize threw a no-hitter in his first Double-A start on Monday night for the Erie SeaWolves.
Mize was selected as the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Detroit Tigers in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft. He was the first No. 1 overall pick in program history for Auburn.
In his debut with the SeaWolves, Mize faced just one batter over the minimum and threw only 98 pitches in his complete game shut out of Altoona Curve, the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburg Pirates. Seventy of those pitches were strikes.
After hitting the first batter he faced in the game, it was lights-out for Mize from then on. In nine innings of work, he struck out seven, walked one and allowed no hits or runs. He did not allow a walk until the seventh.
“Hat’s off to my defense, and then offense for scratching off a run,” Mize said in a video on the SeaWolves Twitter page. “I feel great. It was definitely one of those days where it just felt like autopilot.”
Mize’s near perfect game is a continuation of the dominance he has shown throughout his progression in the minors. In his four starts with Class A Lakeland he went 2-0 with a 0.35 ERA. In 26 innings of work he allowed only one earned run on seven hits. He had 25 strikeouts.
The last time the right-hander threw a no-hitter was on March 9, 2018, while he was still playing for Auburn. In the game against Northeastern, Mize struck out 13 and did not walk a batter in the first no-hitter an Auburn pitcher had thrown since 2002.
Before being drafted by Detroit and becoming its top prospect and the No. 16 prospect in MLB, Mize posted a 2.96 ERA with a 20-13 record during his time in an Auburn uniform. In 267.1 innings pitched he walked 43 and struck out 324.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
