Jackson Jobe gave Detroit six innings of growing evidence Saturday at Rate Field, even if the Tigers left Chicago with a 3-1 loss. The right-hander struck out a career-best nine White Sox hitters, leaned hard on his slider and showed the fuller arsenal Detroit hopes will anchor its rotation alongside Troy Melton next season.
| Game | Result | Key Detroit pitching line | Decisive White Sox scoring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers at White Sox, Saturday | White Sox 3, Tigers 1 | Jackson Jobe: 96 pitches, 9 strikeouts | Sam Antonacci sacrifice fly; Miguel Vargas solo home run |
The ninth strikeout came on a changeup that caught Colson Montgomery looking to close the sixth inning. It topped the eight-strikeout mark Jobe posted in his previous start, which had already surpassed the best total he had reached before that.
Chicago’s middle of the order had little comfort against the mix. Jobe struck out Munetaka Murakami and Andrew Benintendi with sliders in the fourth, then put Montgomery away with a curveball. Earlier, he had fanned Benintendi on a slider, Montgomery with a 98 mph four-seamer and Chase Meidroth using his changeup.
For Jobe, the outing was less about simply bringing velocity than choosing when to show it. He said hitters are eager for the four-seam fastball, even at 98 mph, and that success depends on finding the right moment rather than feeding opponents the pitch they expect.
A slider-heavy afternoon
Jobe threw 40 sliders among his 96 pitches, more than twice his usual seasonal rate. The figure included some cutters, including the pitch Vargas drove to left to begin the sixth. Vargas’ blast was his sixth home run against Detroit pitching this season.
| Pitch | Total thrown | White Sox swings | Whiffs or called strikes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slider | 40 | 23 | 8 whiffs |
| Four-seam fastball | 16 | — | 3 whiffs, 4 called strikes |
| Curveball | — | — | 1 whiff, 3 called strikes |
The heavier dose of spin represented a clear change from Jobe’s previous meeting with Chicago in Detroit last month. In that start, he used the four-seamer roughly 40 percent of the time and was charged with six runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings while struggling to finish hitters.
Detroit manager A.J. Hinch called Saturday’s work excellent, pointing to Jobe’s strike throwing, command and ability to miss bats. Hinch noted that the homer came on a spinner that backed up to Vargas, a mistake that has hurt both the Tigers and other clubs facing the White Sox slugger. Still, the manager said Jobe gave Detroit a chance to win and had reason to feel good about the outing.
More than the fastball
Jobe entered pro ball five years ago as the third overall pick, carrying a high-spin slider that had made him a prominent high school prospect. His rapid climb through Detroit’s system in 2023 brought a power fastball and changeup into sharper view. When the Tigers brought him to the bullpen for the late-season push and postseason two years ago, his velocity gave the relief corps another overpowering arm.
After Tommy John surgery, the fastball again reached triple digits during his rehabilitation appearances this summer. But the final two months of this season have been about returning to starter’s work, building the arm to pitch every five days and restoring the movement and variety that make the fastball play up.
Jobe said he now feels like a more complete pitcher, crediting catcher Dillon Dingler for helping identify the best weapon for each situation. The result in Chicago did not alter the standings on Saturday, but it supplied a useful final-season marker: Jobe’s velocity remains intact, and his spinning pitches are again becoming part of the plan rather than a memory from the scouting report.
