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How Jackson Jobe learned he would join Detroit Tigers: 'It came out of nowhere'
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- How Jackson Jobe learned he would join Detroit Tigers: 'It came out of nowhere'
Detroit Tigers right-hander Jackson Jobe completed his final minor-league start Sept. 20 for the Toledo Mud Hens, two days before the end of the Triple-A season.
The 22-year-old expected to travel home to Oklahoma City for the offseason.
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Instead, the Tigers told Jobe to stick around in Toledo as a member of the taxi squad, which didn't guarantee anything but at least opened the door for him to get called up for his MLB debut.
"It came out of nowhere," Jobe said. "I'm happy it happened."
Detroit Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe (21) celebrates the win with teammates during his debut as the closer against Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Tigers won 7-1.
THE REASON: Why Tigers called up Jackson Jobe as reliever for 'this last week and beyond'
The Tigers revealed the taxi squad news Sunday, but first thing Monday morning, assistant general manager Ryan Garko — who oversees the player development department — called Jobe to tell him he had been called up for his MLB debut, joining the postseason push. He will be a starter in the future, but the Tigers needed him as a reliever.
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"One second, I thought I was going back home to OKC," said Jobe, who called his father, Brandt, before anyone else. "The next, I'm up here with the boys."
After Garko's call, Jobe reported to Comerica Park on Tuesday for the first time in his professional career, officially joining the Tigers. He then made his MLB debut in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays , throwing a scoreless ninth inning.
He will pitch out of the bullpen for the rest of 2024, including the postseason .
In 2025, he should be in the Opening Day starting rotation.
"It was crazy," said Jobe, selected No. 3 overall in the 2021 draft out of high school. "I don't think it's fully hit me yet. It'd be tough to draw it up any better than that with this crowd and the position this team is in. That was really special."
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In Wednesday's game, Jobe warmed up in the eighth inning ahead of his appearance in the ninth inning. In the late innings, fans showed their love by chanting, "We want Jobe." When the bullpen door swung open, the Tigers played a hype video on the massive scoreboard that detailed Jobe's journey through high school and the minor leagues.
"I've been waiting for this day for a while," Jobe said, "and it's finally here."
There were 23 family members and friends in the stands.
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It meant a lot to him.
"You can't draw it up any better," Jobe said.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe (21) makes his debut pitching during the Major League Baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and the Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024.
JEFF SEIDEL: Jackson Jobe to Tigers? Oh man, this amazing week just got even better
Before his MLB debut, Jobe posted a 2.36 ERA with 45 walks (12% walk rate) and 96 strikeouts (25.6% strikeout rate) across 91⅔ innings in 21 starts in the minor leagues in the 2024 season, spanning three levels. He started two games for Triple-A Toledo. He ranks as the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline .
Surprisingly, Jobe didn't feel nervous when he stepped on the mound in the big leagues for the first time, not even in the ninth inning, not even in a playoff race.
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He felt more nervous while warming up in the bullpen.
"I think that spring training outing really prepared me for this," said Jobe, referencing the March 12 relief appearance in which he threw 101.8 mph in the ninth inning. "I felt pretty comfortable out there. We'll just keep building on it. Hopefully, I'll get into bigger and better situations as we move on."
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Jobe retired three of the four batters he faced: Christopher Morel (groundout), Ben Rortvedt (single), José Caballero (force out) and Richie Palacios (flyout). He threw seven of nine pitches for strikes, and he generated one whiff on seven swings.
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His fastball averaged 98 mph.
The fans chanted Jobe's name — in a scene not unlike Lions fans chanting the name of quarterback Jared Goff in January — during the game, with him on the mound.
"They won me over pretty quick," Jobe said. "That was awesome. I want to do that again. Every time."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Jackson Jobe: 'It'd be tough to draw it up any better'
