DETROIT -- The bullpen door swung open after the final out of the eighth inning, and on came Aerosmith’s song: "Sweet Emotion."
It was Alex Lange’s entrance music when he was the Tigers’ closer two years ago. It was his mood on Monday as he returned to the mound at Comerica Park for the first time in nearly 15 months.
The hard-throwing right-hander who thrived on adrenaline throughout his Major League career was suddenly fighting his emotions in his first big league outing back from lat surgery.
“I was fighting tears, man,” Lange said. “I was just so anxious to get in there and get it going, go out there and have some fun, whatever the results were going to be was fine, and I'd accepted that. But I put in a lot of work to be back here. I was just really excited to put it on display and just go out there and have fun and play the game that we love.”
Lange gave up two hits and a walk, but he tossed a scoreless inning to finish off the Tigers’ 10-0 win over the Astros. It was his first appearance in the Majors since May 22, 2024. He was optioned to Triple-A Toledo and made just nine appearances for the Mud Hens before a freakish injury on the mound on June 14. He was diagnosed with an avulsion in his right lat and underwent season-ending surgery shortly afterward.
Lange was emotional last June when he talked about the injury, knowing the long road ahead. He joked before the game that all the tears were gone. He might have been premature, especially once catcher Dillon Dingler walked out to the mound after Monday’s final out and gave him a bear hug.
“He was like, 'I really missed you, man. This is pretty special for me,'” Lange said.
Said Dingler: “I was there when he tore his lat in Triple-A last year. To see it come around full-circle for his first outing back here, it's special. I was super happy for him. I know everybody else in the clubhouse was really happy for him.”
The Tigers have made so many bullpen moves from series to series lately that the last spot has felt like a revolving door. Lange presented a good option against the Astros, who are missing injured left-handed slugger Yordan Alvarez. But there’s so much more to it. He has been a familiar face in Detroit at various stages of his rehab process, but after watching the Tigers ride into the postseason without him last fall, the 29-year-old compared his return to Comerica Park from the 60-day injured list to Christmas morning. He returns with a chance to play a part in the Tigers’ late-season run.
“I'm very grateful,” Lange said. “I think I've grown up a lot. A lot has changed in the last 14 months, and I'm excited to go out there and be a part of this team. It's cool to wear the Olde English D again today.”
Manager A.J. Hinch has seen the growth from Lange, who led the Tigers with 26 saves in 2023.
“I don’t think he’s ever taken anything for granted,” Hinch said. “He’s also been in Detroit for the majority of the season, probably feeling a little helpless, just because he’s been working but also watching a lot. He’s a guy who thrives on adrenaline, so I think he’s just learned a little bit of perspective watching this team over the course of 120-130 games.”
The Tigers have been meticulous with Lange’s rehab process, which included 17 outings over the past seven weeks between High-A West Michigan and Toledo. He posted a 4.73 ERA over 15 appearances for the Mud Hens, but five of his seven runs allowed came in one outing. He has allowed one run on two hits over 6 2/3 innings since, with no walks and eight strikeouts.
It doesn’t mean Lange won’t return to Toledo at some point if the Tigers use another lefty, but his combination of a 95-96 mph fastball, buckling breaking ball and adrenaline-fueled aggressiveness can find a role in a bullpen that has been flexible on late-inning matchups -- if he can continue throwing strikes.
Monday was a start.
“You're excited,” he said. “I mean, I've sat on my butt for the last 400 days waiting for that phone call, you know what I mean? I think I was on edge more than anybody down there. They were looking at me funny. But I just wanted the ball, man. I wanted to get it out of the way and [hear] the crowd again, [feel] the dirt again, just be in that moment.”