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Tigers Star Rookie Made MLB History With Strong Start on Mound

Originally posted on Detroit Tigers on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 7:00 PM ET

There was a lot of hype and excitement surrounding the Detroit Tigers' pitching staff coming into the year, in large part because one of the best prospects in baseball, Jackson Jobe, was going to be unleashed as a full-time starting pitcher.

He had made his MLB debut down the stretch in 2024, coming out of the bullpen for the Tigers in two regular-season games and two postseason games. But in 2025, he was set to join the rotation along with Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Reese Olson and Casey Mize.

Unfortunately for Detroit and Jobe, the expected impact didn’t come this year. He had a 4.22 ERA through 10 starts and 49 innings before landing on the injured list with an elbow ailment that required Tommy John surgery.

Not only was his rookie campaign of 2025 dashed, but he isn’t going to return until at least midseason of the 2026 season, either. It is a huge blow for the Tigers, who have also lost Olson for the remainder of the regular season because of a shoulder issue.

It will be interesting to see if Jobe ever rediscovers the high-end talent that led to him being named one of the best prospects in baseball. He didn’t provide the kind of rookie impact the team was hoping for, but they are still receiving historic performances from another rookie in the rotation.

Troy Melton, the team’s No. 6 ranked prospect, has made an immediate impact at the Major League level, putting together some historic performances on the mound. Overall, he has made five appearances, with three starts, producing a 2.82 ERA across 22.1 innings with 21 strikeouts.

Troy Melton Has Been Bright Spot for Tigers Pitching Staff

His debut was a shaky one against the Pittsburgh Pirates, giving up six earned runs in his first three innings as a Big Leaguer. But, he settled down, throwing two shutout innings to complete his debut.

If you take those three innings out of his performance, Melton has been dominating with 19.1 innings allowing only a single earned run. He had a major bounceback in start No. 2, throwing seven shutout innings with five strikeouts against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which put him on the path to history.

In his most recent outing, Melton threw five shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox with six strikeouts and only one hit allowed.

As shared by Jerry Mackinem of Tigers ML Report, that makes him the first pitcher in MLB history to record two outings of 5+ innings, 5+ strikeouts, 0 walks and zero earned runs out of their first five.

Troy Melton is now the first pitcher in MLB history to have 2 of their first 5 games of their career with:

5+ IP
5+ Ks
0 Rs
0 BBs
— JerryMackinem (@OPSenheimer) August 13, 2025

Whether it is as a starter or coming out of the bullpen, which is his current role, Melton is making an impact for Detroit on the mound that they thought Jobe would be providing them coming into the year.