Keider Montero cements spot in Tigers' 2025 rotation with one-of-a-kind complete game

Just when you think the Detroit Tigers can't possibly surprise or impress us any more during their unexpected playoff push, they keep doing it.

The latest example came courtesy of rookie pitcher Keider Montero, who threw a complete game shutout in Tuesday's 11-0 win over the Colorado Rockies to open a three-game series at Comerica Park.

In just his 14th Major League start, Montero became the first Tigers pitcher to throw a complete game – let alone a shutout – since Spencer Turnbull no-hit the Seattle Mariners on May 18, 2021. He also became the first Tiger to face the minimum 27 batters in a complete game since Justin Verlander no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays on May 7, 2011.

Oh, and he did it in just 96 pitches, making him the first Tigers pitcher to throw a "Maddux" – a shutout with fewer than 100 pitches – since David Price blanked the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) with 93 pitches on June 12, 2015.

Keider Montero's one-of-a-kind complete game cements his spot in Tigers' 2025 rotation

Montero further etched his name into the history books by becoming the first MLB rookie in the pitch-counting era (since 1988) to throw a Maddux while facing the minimum 27 batters.

It's easy to forget that Montero didn't even start the 2024 campaign on Detroit's Major League roster, instead getting his first big-league opportunity in May as an extra starter for a double-header. His chance to slot into the Tigers' rotation came the following month amid injuries to Casey Mize and Reese Olson, and he took full advantage. He eventually became half of Detroit's two-man starting rotation alongside American League Cy Young Award favorite Tarik Skubal, relied upon to deliver quality starts in between bullpen and "opener" days.

Montero now owns a 4.88 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) in his young MLB career, though he hadn't pitched beyond the seventh inning prior to Tuesday's complete game shutout. Mize has since returned from the injured list, and Olson's return appears imminent, but Montero's latest heroics have all but cemented his spot in the Tigers' 2025 rotation.

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