Jackson Jobe slams door shut on another Tigers win in impressive MLB debut

The Tigers called up MLB's top pitching prospect (No. 6 overall) Jackson Jobe on Tuesday in an out-of-nowhere bombshell move. He'd just been promoted to Triple-A a few weeks before, but that isn't even what made it most surprising. The Tigers are in the middle of an epic playoff push, and taking a chance on an untested prospect, as good as he's been in the minors this year, was a huge leap of faith.

Jobe didn't get his major league debut on Tuesday in the Tigers' series opener against the Rays, and they seemed to tease his entrance in the second game. Bally Sports' cameras caught Jobe warming up in the bullpen next to Jason Foley during the top of eighth on Wednesday night, while Will Vest was on the mound against the middle of Tampa's order.

However, the Tigers ultimately went to Jobe, and Bally didn't even cut to commercial between the bottom of the eighth and top of the ninth, instead giving Jobe the star treatment and following his walk from the bullpen to the mound.

His first pitch was a high fastball called a ball, but after five more pitches he got Christopher Morel to ground out. One down. Ben Rortvedt quickly singled on the first pitch he saw, but he was called out at second on a ground ball from José Caballero, who legged it out to first. Two outs, man on first.

But Richie Palacios was the third straight Rays batter to swing at the first pitch, and he flew out easily to Parker Meadows in center field. The Tigers won, and Jobe put his first major league inning the books.

Jackson Jobe's major league debut sealed a win for Tigers as Detroit inches closer to the postseason

The Tigers offense was working overtime, giving Jobe and the four relievers before him six runs of insurance to work with. Meadows had quickly opened the game up with a homer, followed by a Wenceel Pérez RBI single to cement his bat as the hottest in the Tigers lineup right now. The Tigers poured on five more runs through the bottom of the eighth, including a two-run homer absolutely destroyed by Spencer Torkelson.

Jobe couldn't have come in with more reassurance that he'd be able to put this game in the books. Even though he did give up the one hit and we have to wait at least another inning to see his first major league strikeout, there was never any doubt that Jobe would able to wrap this one up nicely.

The Tigers solidified the series win over the Rays and cut the Magic Number down to three (maybe lower, depending on how the Twins-Marlins game turns out), and Jobe made his first argument for a postseason spot in the bullpen.