Chris Paddack's personal news after loss makes Tigers' decision look that much worse

Tuesday was a tough night on the diamond for the Detroit Tigers, who gave up double-digit runs to the New York Mets for the second day in a row in a 12-5 loss. But Tigers pitcher Chris Paddack had far more than baseball weighing on his mind.

Paddack, who came to Detroit from the Minnesota Twins at the July trade deadline, was told on Monday that he would be moving to the bullpen after posting a 5.40 ERA over his first six starts with the Tigers. Tuesday marked his first relief appearance with the club – and, suffice it to say, it did not go well.

Eight hits and six earned runs later, Paddack was being booed off the field in the top of the seventh inning while the Tigers trailed New York by 10 runs. It wasn't until after the game that he revealed that he had been pitching through immense grief and would be leaving the team for three days after a death in his family.

“I want to be there for my family,” Paddack told reporters after the game (including Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press) while fighting back tears. “A.J. (Hinch) and them, they're giving me three days to go spend time with my family and be there. Hopefully, that's a little reset for me”

Chris Paddack's personal news after loss makes Tigers' decision look that much worse

Paddack has endured more than his fair share of challenges over the past few seasons. After a lengthy recovery process from Tommy John surgery in 2022, he saw his 2024 season cut short due to a right forearm strain. He had an inconsistent start to the year with Minnesota before being traded at the deadline to a Tigers team that was in the thick of a playoff race – all during a contract year, no less.

Add in the death of a family member, and the Tigers' decision to move Paddack to the bullpen and hang him out to dry against the Mets looks even worse. It's understandable the Tigers were trying to get as much out of their bullpen in a lost game, but Paddack should've gotten the hook much earlier in the seventh. It absolutely wasn't fair for the Mets lineup to bat around against him.

"Mentally, this game has done some things to me this year," Paddack said (via Petzold). "I'm proud of myself for keeping my head up and continuing to get ready for tomorrow."

Hopefully, the time with family will give Paddack the mental reset that he needs. Some things are just bigger than baseball.

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