Dane Anthony Dunning…married the former Rachel Castelli in November 2021…the couple welcomed their first child, son Mack Anthony Dunning, on 5/25/23…Dane’s mother, Misu, is a native of South Korea…his brother Jake was selected by San Francisco in the 33rd round of the 2009 MLB draft…posted a 2.77 ERA in 30 relief appearances for the Giants in 2013-14 and last pitched for Long Island in the independent Atlantic League in 2018…Dane and Jake were teammates at Kannapolis (Low-A) in the CWS system for two months in 2017…received a key to the city from his hometown of Green Cove Spring, Fla., on 12/18/23...is close friends with new Rangers teammate, Jake Burger…the two were members of the Chicago White Sox organization together from 2017-20.
2024
Spent most of year with Texas (Opening Day-8/30; 9/20-end of season), his fifth MLB season and fourth with Rangers… began campaign in the rotation but transitioned to the bullpen in late June…also endured two stints on the Injured List due to right rotator cuff strain (5/5-21) and right shoulder soreness (7/4-24)…went 3-2, 4.10 ERA (17 ER/37.1 IP), 43 strikeouts and a .195 (26-133) BAA in his first seven starts from 4/1-5/4 before his first stay on IL (TEX went 5-2 in those starts)…returned to Rangers rotation for five starts from 5/22-6/16 (1-4, 5.82 ERA) before shifting to a relief role, posting a 6.61 ERA (23 ER/31.1 IP) in his next 12 G/2 GS (beg. 6/25) preceding an option to Round Rock (AAA) on 8/31…was recalled on 9/20 and went 1-0, 3.86 ERA (2 ER/4.2 IP) in two G/one GS to close the season… surrendered a career-high 1.71 HR/9 (18 HR/95.0 IP), the eighth-highest figure allowed among A.L. pitchers in 2024 (min. 70.0 IP)…needed just 69 pitches to fan season-high 10 batters on 4/28 vs. CIN, becoming first Ranger in pitch-tracking era (beg. 1988) to record 10+ SO on fewer than 70 pitches (Stathead)… Texas went 9-17 in Dunning’s appearances, but were 8-7 in his 15 starts…compiled an 0-1 record and 4.67 ERA (11 ER/17.1 IP) over 5 G/4 GS in the minor leagues at Frisco (AA) and Round Rock, which included two rehab appearances from 7/14-20 and three starts with the Express while on option in early September.
2023
Selected as Rangers’ 2023 Pitcher of the Year by the DFW chapter of the BBWAA after compiling career highs in wins (12), innings (team-high 172.2), strikeouts (140), and quality starts (12) in his fourth Major League season (third with Texas)…went 12-6, 3.70 ERA (71 ER/172.2 IP) across 35 games/26 starts, ranking among A.L. qualifiers in opp. GIDP (fourth, 20), fewest pitches-per-batter faced (fourth, 3.74), ground ball pct. (sixth, 46.9%), wins (T10th), and ERA (12th)…opened season in bullpen, but returned to rotation in early May and made team-high 25 starts from 5/1-end of season…saw far better ERA results on the road (5-5, 3.10 ERA in 20 G/16 GS) than at home (7-2, 4.44 ERA in 15 G/10 GS)…opponents batted .250/.316/.393/.708 (163-652), including splits of .270 BA/.782 OPS vs. LHB and .233 BA/.644 OPS vs. RHB…struck out 72 of 284 (25.4%) batters faced in 12 G/11 GS after the beg. of August, ranking among A.L. leaders over that span in SO (7th), SO/9 (10th, 9.87), and SO pct. (14th)...posted the two highest strikeout totals of his career over his first 3 starts in Aug. (12 SO, 8/13 at SF; 11 SO, 8/2 vs. CWS)…allowed no BB w/ career-high 12 SO on 8/13 at SF, becoming the 8th pitcher (11th instance) in WSH/TEX franchise history to post 12+ SO/0 BB in a game (also Jon Gray, 6/7/23 vs. STL)…logged career-high 8.2 IP in start on 6/28 vs. DET (W, 8.2 IP, 2 R-ER, 0 BB, 10 SO)…on MLB paternity leave list from 5/27-29...made six appearances/one start in his postseason career, going 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA (4 ER/7.2 IP)… was 1-1, 5.14 ERA (4 ER/7.0 IP) with 5 BB/5 SO over five relief appearances during Texas’ 2023 World Series championship run, including three scoreless outings (2.1 SHO IP) in the Fall Classic vs. Arizona…took loss in 10-3 Rangers defeat in ALCS G4 vs. HOU (L, 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R-ER, 3 BB, 4 SO)…pitched behind ‘opener’ Andrew Heaney and earned first career playoff win as part of Rangers’ 3-2 victory in ALDS G2 at BAL (W, 2.0 IP, 1 R-ER), his first ever postseason action with TEX.
2022
In his third MLB season, established career highs in many categories while ranking second on TEX staff in starts (29), innings (153.1) and strikeouts (137)…finished 4-8, 4.46 over 29 G/GS in his second full MLB campaign…missed time for a pair of IL stints: 7/11-25 (right ankle impingement) and 9/27-end of season (right hip surgery)…had season-ending surgery on 9/26 for a right hip labral repair, with the surgery performed by Dr. William Robertson in Arlington...DAY-BY-DAY: Went 1-1, 3.38 (12 ER/32.0 IP) over first six starts through 5/8, his lowest ERA all year…from 5/13-7/31, was 0-5, 4.70 (39 ER/74.2 IP) over 14 starts…won two of next three starts (2-0, 2.60) from 8/6-18, then went 1-2, 6.14 (20 ER/29.1 IP) in final six starts before season-ending surgery to finish with a 4.46 ERA on the year…TEX lost 11 straight Dunning starts from 5/24- 7/26 and the 20 Rangers losses in his starts were T2nd-most of any MLB pitcher (25-WAS’ Patrick Corbin, 20-Dunning and PIT’s JT Brubaker)…win on 8/6 vs. CWS snapped 15-start winless span (5/1-7/31) that was longest single-season winless span in franchise history...BY THE NUMBERS: Had a groundball pct. of 53.1%, 2nd-highest in A.L. (HOU’s Framber Valdez-67.3%) and 6th-best in MLB (min. 150.0 IP)…induced career-high 13 GIDP’s…posted nearly identical WHIP (1.435) compared to 2021 (1.436)…his four wins were fewest among any MLB pitcher with 29+ starts in ’22, and easily set a club record (previous low was seven wins in 30 GS by Frank Tanana in 1982)…registered A.L.-high 17 no-decisions in 29 starts, T3rd-most ND’s in MLB and setting a WAS/TEX franchise record for a starting pitcher…previous TEX record was 14 by Jon Matlack (1980) and Derek Holland (2013)…his career-high 11 hit batters were T3rd-most in the A.L…he earned the win in just three of his 10 quality starts on the year...ONE FOR THE ROAD?: Fared far better at home (4-2, 3.59, .232/.307/.421/.728 in 16 GS) than on the road (0-6, 5.62, .312/.390/.470/.860 in 13 GS)… he is winless in his last 27 G/26 GS on the road (including 1 G/GS w/ CWS and 26 G/25 GS w/ TEX) since only career away victory on 9/9/20 at PIT w/ CWS…has set a Texas franchise record with his active run of 25 consecutive winless road starts for the club, surpassing Pete Broberg in 1972-73 (15).
2021
The first rookie ever to be selected Rangers Pitcher of the Year by the DFW chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Dunning finished with a 5-10 record and 4.51 ERA (59 ER/117.2 IP) across 27 games/25 starts…despite having his workload limited by the club, he ranked among staff leaders in SO (2nd, 114), starts (2nd, 25), and innings (4th, 117.2), and led the rotation with an 8.7 SO/9 rate…finished among A.L. rookie leaders in starts (T4th, 25), innings (8th, 117.2), and SO (9th, 114)…ranked among overall A.L. leaders (min. 100 IP) in ground ball pct. (5th, 53.9) and HR/9 (13th, 0.99)…had two stints on Injured List: 8/3-12 (right ankle impingement) and 8/25-9/9 (COVID-19 Related).
DAY-BY DAY: Produced a 0.60 ERA (1 R-ER/15.0 IP) over his 1st 3 starts for Texas from 4/6-17, just the 2nd pitcher to start his Rangers career with three straight starts of 4.0+ IP and one-or-zero runs allowed (also Chi Chi Gonzalez in 2015)…earned win in TEX debut on 4/6 vs. TOR (5.0 IP, 1 R-ER) and posted career-best 16.0-inning scoreless streak from 4/6-23, T2nd-longest run by a Texas pitcher in 2021 (19.0-Kyle Gibson, 16.0-Dunning/ Jordan Lyles)…in next seven starts from 4/23-5/26, had a 6.68 ERA (24 ER/32.1 IP) to raise season mark to 4.75, including season-high 7 R-ER allowed over 4.0 IP on 5/26 at LAA…made 11 starts from 6/1-8/13 spanning IL stint (3.44 ERA, 20 ER/52.1 IP) to drop to 4.06…beginning with start 8/20 at BOS, had 7.00 ERA (14 ER/18.0 IP) in final 6 G/4 GS to the end the year at 4.51, span in which he missed 20 days of action for COVID-19 Related IL.
STRIKEOUTS: His 114 SO were 7th-highest single-season total for a Texas rookie, most since Yu Darvish set the club rookie record in 2012 (221 SO)…his 2.64 SO/BB ratio (114 SO/43 BB) was 3rd-best mark ever by a Texas rookie pitcher (min. 100 IP), bested only by current Rangers GM Chris Young in 2005 (3.04) and Adrian Sampson in 2019 (2.81)…recorded career-high 10 SO on 5/9 vs. SEA, matching most by a Texas pitcher in 2020-21 (also Lance Lynn on 9/13/20 vs. OAK; Kyle Gibson on 6/26/21 vs. KC)…was first 10+ SO game by a TEX rookie since Sampson on 6/2/19 vs. KC (11 SO), as Dunning (26.140) became youngest Ranger to reach double digits since Derek Holland on 9/7/12 at TB (25.334, 11 SO). BY
THE NUMBERS: Logged a team-high 5 scoreless starts and twice went winless in a start of 6.0 scoreless innings (4/17 vs. BAL, 5/20 vs. NYY), to match the longest scoreless outing of his career…opp. batted .275/.345/.427/.772…Rangers went 9-16 in his 25 starts…fared better at home (5-3, 3.09 ERA in 14 G/13 GS) vs. on the road (0-7, 6.39 ERA in 13 G/12 GS)… had the 2nd-lowest home ERA by a Texas rookie (min. 10 GS in Arlington) behind Jim Bibby in 1973 (2.46)…became the first pitcher in Texas history and the only MLB pitcher in 2021 to make 10+ road starts and not record a win…his 74.1 pitches per start were 4th-fewest in A.L. (min. 20 GS).
NOTES: Was listed as the Rangers’ 4th-best prospect by Baseball America entering 2021…also listed as the 60th-best prospect on Baseball Prospectus’ Top 101 MLB prospects entering 2021.
2020
Was on CWS’ 40-man roster for 1st time in spring training before option to minors on 3/6…began season at White Sox’ Alternate Training Site…averaged 9.3 strikeouts per 9.0 innings and held opponents to a slash line of .197/.282/.315/.597 over two stints in the Majors: 8/19 and 8/30-end of season…was 5th on the CWS staff in starts (7)…held RHB to .152 average with LHB batters at .246…White Sox went 6-1 in his seven starts.
SUMMARY: Was recalled on 8/19 to make MLB debut in spot start that night vs. DET…recorded 1st strikeout by fanning Niko Goodrum in 1st inning…took a 1-0 lead into the 5th inning before leaving following Jeimer Candelario’s 3-run HR…had no decision in CWS’ 5-3 victory (4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R-ER, 1 BB, 7 SO)… joined with DET’s Casey Mize (also 7 SO) to become the 1st pair of MLB starters in the same game to record 7+ strikeouts in their big league debuts…was optioned to Alternate Training Site after that game. Was recalled on 8/30 and went 2-0, 3.64 (12 ER/29.2 IP) in six starts the rest of the regular season…his 1st two wins came in consecutive starts, 9/9 at PIT (6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R) and 9/15 vs. MIN (7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R-1 ER)…issued 9 runs/8 ER in 7.0 IP over his final two outings…matched MLB debut with seven strikeouts in next start, 8/30 vs. KC.
WILD CARD START: Started 3rd and deciding game of the A.L. Wild Card Series at OAK on 10/1…was removed after allowing two hits in 0.2 innings before Garrett Crochet fanned Matt Olson to end the 1st…was not the pitcher of record in the White Sox’ 6-4 season-ending loss…became just the 4th rookie to ever start a postseason game for CWS, joining Dickey Kerr in Games 3 and 6 of the 1919 WS vs. CIN and Jason Bere in Game 4 of the 1993 ALCS vs. TOR…was the shortest outing ever for a White Sox pitcher in a postseason start.
2019
Missed 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March ... Preseason Baseball America Ranking: No. 11 prospect in the White Sox system ... Preseason MLB.com Ranking: No. 6 prospect in the White Sox system; No. 59 overall in baseball.
2018
Went a combined 6-3 with a 2.71 ERA (26 ER/86.1 IP), 100 strikeouts and a .235 (77-for-328) opponents average over 15 starts between Class A Winston-Salem and Class AA Birmingham ... Began the season with Winston-Salem, making four starts before being promoted to Birmingham on 4/26 ... Threw 8.0 scoreless IP on 6/14 vs. Chattanooga ... Preseason Baseball America Rankings: No. 5 prospect and Best Control in the White Sox system; No. 82 overall in baseball ... Preseason MLB.com Rankings: No. 6 prospect in the White Sox system; No. 92 overall in baseball.
2017
Combined to go 8-8 with a 2.94 ERA (47 ER/144.0 IP), 168 strikeouts, two shutouts, two complete games, a 1.15 WHIP and 10.5 strikeouts-per-9.0 IP mark over 26 starts between Class A Kannapolis and Class A Winston-Salem...His 168 strikeouts tied for 11th-most in the minor leagues … ranked among the Sox system leaders in complete games (T1st), strikeouts (3rd), ERA (4th), IP (4th), and wins (T6th)...Opened the season with Kannapolis and made four starts, allowing just one earned run with 33 strikeouts over 26.0 IP...Was named the White Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April … ended the month with a streak of 25.0 consecutive IP without allowing an earned run...Struck out 13 batters and allowed just one unearned run over 8.0 IP in a no decision on 4/13 at Hickory...Was promoted to Winston-Salem on 4/28 for the rest of 2017...Allowed three runs or less in 15 of his 22 outings with the Dash … recorded a 1.61 ERA (11 ER/61.1 IP) with 79 strikeouts and two shutouts over 11 road starts... Worked 5.0 scoreless IP in his Dash debut on 5/2 at Lynchburg … struck out 11 in just 5.0 IP on 6/6 at Carolina...Registered a complete-game victory on 6/17 at Buies Creek, allowing just three hits over 7.0 scoreless IP … struck out 11 on 7/31 vs. Salem and 10 on 8/29 at Carolina...Was victorious in his final start on 9/3 at Salem, allowing one hit with nine strikeouts over 7.0 scoreless IP...Following the season, was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 10 Prospect in the CL...Entered the season rated by MLB.com as the No. 10 Prospect in the White Sox organization and by Baseball America as the No. 11 Prospect.
