Former Auburn Tigers Pitcher Masterful in First MLB Start

Former Auburn Tigers pitcher Davis Daniel was lights out in his first start for the LA Angels.

Former Auburn Tigers pitcher Davis Daniel's first start could hardly have gone better for the LA Angels. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Former Auburn Tigers pitcher Davis Daniel was masterful for the Los Angeles Angels in his first career MLB start Thursday night. The 27-year-old pitched eight shutout innings and punched out eight batters en route to an Angels 5-0 win over the Detroit Tigers. He allowed just four hits and no walks. 

An eight-inning shutout for Davis Daniel in his first career start 💪#RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/WXItEhdOEk

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) June 28, 2024

A former Tiger dominated against the MLB team called the Tigers. Funny how that works out. 

“It was incredible. It was a lot of fun,” Daniel said in his postgame interview. “I felt me and [Logan O’Hoppe] were on the same page from the first inning. The offense hit a few big homers to propel us. Had some good defense behind me and just felt like everything was rolling.”

Daniel also made history on Thursday night. He became the fourth pitcher in MLB history to pitch 8-plus innings, strike out 8-plus batters and allow no walks in his first career start. 

Daniel mixed his pitches well not relying on any pitch in particular to get outs. Five of his strikeouts game on the changeup, three came from on the fastball and one on the curveball. 

The Long Path to an MLB Start

Daniel pitched for Auburn for three seasons from 2017 to 2019. He made just one start in his final season. Daniel was the opening night starter and exited after just two innings due to a UCL tear. 

Despite missing virtually his entire junior year, the Angels took Daniel in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft. 

Between Tommy John surgery and the COVID-19 Pandemic, Daniel wouldn’t make his professional debut until 2021. He quickly rose through the minors to Triple-A that season. 

Daniel faced another major injury with a right shoulder sprain in 2023 but came back in time to make his MLB debut as a September call up. He pitched 12 1/3 innings across three appearances, finishing with a 2.19 ERA. 

Perhaps, this Auburn alum could become one of the many solutions the Angels have been looking for to aid their roster-building woes.