Gator 99.5 logo
Get our free mobile app

It took a few years, but former LSU Tigers baseball star Alex Lange has made it to the majors.

Lange made his MLB debut with the Detroit Tigers over the weekend, and made his presence known right away. Lange only appeared in one inning of work, but really made his 16 pitches count.

During the Tigers matchup with the Cleveland Indians, Detroit's starting pitcher Tarik Skubal gave up 6 runs through 4 innings of work. The Tigers' bats hadn't come to life yet, so down 6-0 into the 5th, Detroit went to the bullpen to bring in Lange to help stop the bleeding.

Lange came out firing. Of his 16 pitches, 11 were for strikes. He end the frame with a strike out, no hits, no walks, and a clean inning. He was the only Tigers pitcher on Saturday night to not give up a hit or run.

The Tigers ended up losing to Cleveland by a final score of 11-3. But even in the loss, Lange did his job, and did it well.

Before he made it to The Show, Lange was a star at LSU in Baton Rouge. He became an All-American his Freshman year, when he was also named Freshman Pitcher of the Year. He also became a pre-season All-American while at LSU. In his three years in Baton Rouge, LSU made the NCAA Tournament every year, advancing to the College World Series in 2015 and 2017. The team won the SEC Championship both of those CWS seasons as well.

Lange ended his LSU career with 406 strikeouts, 3 shy of the All-Time LSU record. He was also the 10th pitcher in LSU history to record 30 wins in his career.

In the 2017 MLB Draft, Lange became a first round pick, going to the Chicago Cubs. By 2019, Lange was a blue chip trade piece for the Cubs, who ended up sending him to Detroit in exchange for hard hitting OF Nicholas Castellanos.

Read More: LSU VS CLEMSON: WHICH DEATH VALLEY IS THE REAL DEATH VALLEY?

More From Gator 99.5