Detroit Tigers: The 3 best September call-ups and moments

Detroit Tigers RHP Mike Henneman

So admittedly, September call-ups for pitchers were hard to come by in terms of impact. Henneman’s rookie season was one of the main reasons why Detroit was able to win the AL East in 1987. Despite his less than stellar September numbers in which he posted an ERA of 5.16 in 14 appearances, his July and August numbers were key for the Tigers as they headed into September. His July ERA was a 2.05 and in August, a 2.14 ERA.

A rookie season in which he finished 11-3 with an ERA of 2.98 in 96 innings of work? That is pretty impactful.

LHP Andrew Miller

After being drafted sixth overall in the 2006 MLB Draft, Miller quickly made his debut on August 30th in New York against the Yankees.

Miller stands out for two reasons as a September call-up to remember. One, he pitched the final outs of the Tigers winning 11-4 and heading to the post-season for the first time since 1987. Ask any fan who watched the Tigers in the ’90s. That moment when Miller got the final out at least to me put tears in my eye and ended years of frustration of watching bad baseball.

Miller’s quick rise to the majors made it possible for Dave Dombrowski to use him in a trade for Miguel Cabrera in the off-season of 2007.

LHP Drew Smyly

Smyly was critical to the Tigers’ World Series run in 2012 but his month of September was one of the best among Tigers rookie pitchers.  In 13 games, mainly as a reliever and two as a starter, he pitched 13.2 innings, allowing just three runs on nine hits, striking out 8, and posted an ERA of 1.98.