Tyler John Alexander (born July 14, 1994) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

, and

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

Amateur career

Alexander attended

Carroll Senior High School Carroll Senior High School (commonly known as Southlake Carroll) is a public secondary school in Southlake, Texas, serving students in grades 11 and 12. The school is part of the Carroll Independent School District, serving the majority of the c ...

Southlake, Texas Southlake is a city located predominantly in Tarrant County with minor areas extending into Denton County in the U.S. state of Texas. Southlake is a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 31,265. History ...

. In 2013, as a senior, he went 12–1 with a 0.66 ERA, striking out 177 batters in 94.2 innings. He was drafted by the

in the 23rd round of the

2013 MLB draft The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of t ...

, but did not sign with the Tigers and instead chose to attend

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private university, private research university in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison Clark, Addison and Randolph Clark as the AddRan Male & Female College. It i ...

(TCU), where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

. As a freshman in 2014, he went 10–3 with a 2.36 ERA in twenty games (16 starts), and in 2015, as a sophomore, he went 6–3 with a 3.07 ERA in 17 games (15 starts). After his sophomore season, Alexander was again drafted by the Tigers, this time in the second round of the

2015 MLB draft The 2015 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks finished the 2014 season ...

Professional career

Detroit Tigers

Minor leagues

Alexander signed with the Tigers and spent the 2015 season with the

Connecticut Tigers The Norwich Sea Unicorns are a baseball team located in Norwich, Connecticut. From 2010 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They play ...

, posting an 0–2 record and 0.97 ERA in 37 innings pitched. He started 2016 with the

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. ...

and was promoted to the

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Ti ...

during the season. In 25 total games (24 starts) between the two teams, he pitched to an 8–8 record and 2.44 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP. He returned to Erie in 2017, posting an 8–9 record, a 5.07 ERA, and 120 strikeouts in 27 games (26 starts), and in 2018, he played for both Erie and the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

, going 6–8 with a 4.44 ERA in 26 games (24 starts).

Major leagues

Alexander returned to Toledo to begin the 2019 season. On July 3, 2019, the Tigers selected Alexander's contract and promoted him to the major leagues as the 26th man of a doubleheader against the

. In his major league debut, he pitched five innings, allowing two runs and recording four strikeouts (including the very first batter he faced). On September 16, Alexander pitched six innings of one-run baseball against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, earning his first major league win. On August 2, 2020, against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

, Alexander set an MLB record for a reliever by striking out nine consecutive batters. He also tied the American League and Tigers' franchise record of nine consecutive strikeouts set by

Doug Fister Douglas Wildes Fister (born February 4, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and Texas ...

on September 27, 2012. He became the first pitcher with 10 or more strikeouts in a relief outing since

Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed, "the Big Unit," is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle Mariners and Arizo ...

set the strikeout record for a relief pitcher with 16 on July 18, 2001. (Johnson's record was accomplished on the second day of a suspended game; while he was the first pitcher to appear that day, he was officially listed as a reliever.) With the 2020 Detroit Tigers, Alexander appeared in 14 games, compiling a 2–3 record with a 3.96 ERA and 34 strikeouts in innings pitched. Alexander made the Tigers

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster out of 2021 spring training. He began the season as a long reliever and occasional "opener" (pitching the first two to three innings of a game), before being moved to an official starting role in July. On August 20, Alexander pitched a career-high seven innings and allowed only one run against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

to record his first

quality start In baseball, a quality start (QS) is a statistic for a starting pitcher defined as a game in which the pitcher completes at least six innings and permits no more than three earned runs. The quality start was developed by sportswriter John Lowe in ...

of the season. Overall in 2021, Alexander appeared in 41 games (15 starts), posting a 2–4 record and 3.81 ERA, while striking out 87 batters in innings. Alexander made the Tigers'

roster out of 2022 spring training. He suffered a left elbow sprain and was placed on Detroit's 15-day IL on May 2, retroactive to April 30. He was recalled to the Tigers on June 14. On September 19, Alexander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the

before surrendering a leadoff single to

Ryan Mountcastle Ryan Lee Mountcastle (born February 18, 1997) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020. Amateur career Mountcastle attended Hagerty High School ...

. Alexander ended up throwing seven shutout innings as he and the Tigers won 11–0. On November 18, Alexander signed a one-year, $1.875 million contract with the Tigers, avoiding arbitration. Alexander began the 2023 season mainly pitching out of Detroit's

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

. He made 25 appearances, recording a 4.50 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 44.0 innings of work before he was placed on the 60-day injured list with a lat strain on July 4, 2023. Following the season on November 6, Alexander was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Tigers.

Tampa Bay Rays

On November 10, 2023, Alexander was claimed off waivers by the

. On May 17, 2024, he threw

perfect Perfect commonly refers to: * Perfection; completeness, and excellence * Perfect (grammar), a grammatical category in some languages Perfect may also refer to: Film and television * ''Perfect'' (1985 film), a romantic drama * ''Perfect'' (20 ...

innings vs. the

before giving up a single, a home run, and another single and being pulled. This was the 2nd longest perfect game bid in Rays history, behind the duo of

Ryne Stanek Ryne Thomas Stanek (born July 26, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, and Seattle Mariners ...

and

Ryan Yarbrough Ryan Christian Yarbrough (born December 31, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodge ...

in 2019 and

Drew Rasmussen Drew Thomas Rasmussen (born July 27, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Milwaukee Brewers, for whom he made his MLB debut in 2020. Ama ...

in 2022, both 8 innings against the

. In 23 games (9 starts) for Tampa Bay, he compiled a 6–5 record and 5.10 ERA with 90 strikeouts across innings pitched. On November 22, the Rays non–tendered Alexander, making him a free agent.

Milwaukee Brewers

On February 12, 2025, Alexander signed a one-year contract with the

. In 21 appearances (four starts) for Milwaukee, he struggled to a 3-5 record and 6.19 ERA with 30 strikeouts across innings pitched. On June 1, Alexander was designated for assignment by the Brewers. He elected free agency in lieu of an outright assignment to the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

on June 6.

Chicago White Sox

On June 8, 2025, Alexander signed a minimum-salary, major league contract with the

Pitch selection

Alexander throws a combination of four-seam and two-seam

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

s. The four-seam fastball averages 91 MPH (topping out at 94 MPH). He initially threw his two-seam fastball as a sinker at 90 to 91 MPH, but opponents were hitting it for an average over .360. In 2021, Alexander began throwing his two-seamer as a

cutter Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Cutter (hydraulic rescue tool) * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Pizza cutter * Side cutter People * Cutter (surname) * Cutt ...

at an average of 87 MPH (topping out at 90 MPH). This pitch has been much more effective, with opponents hitting it at only a .222 clip that season. Alexander's main offspeed pitches are a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

at about 84 MPH and a slider averaging 85 MPH.

References

External links

TCU Horned Frogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Tyler 1994 births Living people Baseball players from Chicago Carroll Senior High School alumni Chicago White Sox players Connecticut Tigers players Detroit Tigers players Durham Bulls players Erie SeaWolves players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Tampa Bay Rays players TCU Horned Frogs baseball players Toledo Mud Hens players