Tigers pitcher achieves personal history after 1,371 days away from MLB

The Detroit Tigers are a team rife with interesting storylines in their MLB-leading 2025 season so far. From the resurgence of Javier Báez to the incredible performances of Tarik Skubal, there is no shortage of interesting stories coming out of Detroit this year.

But, one of the more interesting and incredible stories comes in the form of Tigers pitcher Dietrich Enns. The 34-year-old starter out of Frankfort, Illinois, is the protagonist of one of the best stories in MLB this season.

Enns started for the Tigers on Thursday, June 26th, and went five shutout innings against the Athletics. This start was the first time Enns appeared in a game since 2021, 1,371 days ago.

But what makes this stand out even more is that this start from Enns was the first start since 2017, 2,877 days ago, one of the longest stretches between starts this century. Jason Beck of MLB.com shared the incredible story of Enns, detailing his long journey back to the Major League mound as a starter.

"The last and only previous time Dietrich Enns started in the Major Leagues," Beck writes. "Future Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer was on his left playing first base, and the Brewers lineup he faced included Ryan Braun and Domingo Santana."

What is already an incredible story is made even more dramatic, as that was his MLB debut, which resulted in a no-decision. While he did make a brief comeback in 2021, pitching 22.1 innings with the Tampa Bay Rays as a reliever, Enns hadn't started a game since his MLB debut nearly a decade ago.

Since his MLB debut, Enns has spent time bouncing between Japan, Korea, and the Minor Leagues with Detroit. As a Minor Leaguer in Detroit, he was great. Enns, in 14 starts, had a 2.89 ERA and struck out 71 batters in 62.1 innings of work.

His strong stint in the Minors gave reason for the Tigers to call him up, and he answered the call. Enns had five shutout innings in his first start in the Major Leagues since 2017, and struck out four batters to go along with it.

Enns' story is an incredible one. The perseverance to stick with baseball and make it back to the Major Leagues is an incredible accomplishment. After the game, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch called Enns' story "Incredible." Hinch isn't alone, as the baseball world looked on at Enns' incredible start and accomplishment, as he pitched in MLB for the first time in 1,371 days, and started a game in MLB for the first time in 2,877 days.