Tigers catcher Jake Rogers' knuckleball strikeout of Joey Ortiz goes viral
Tigers catcher Jake Rogers recorded his first career strikeout by throwing a nasty knuckleball past Joey Ortiz.
Detroit — There’s not much science or strategy involved by the time Jake Rogers has to come into a game and pitch an inning to save the bullpen. Rogers, a catcher by trade, is summoned exclusively for mop-up work, which was the case Tuesday when he pitched a scoreless ninth in the Tigers’ 12-4 loss to the Brewers . But he got himself on all highlight packages and pitching guru videos on social media, earning his first career strikeout throwing a nasty knuckleball past Joey Ortiz.
“It’s a really crappy situation to be in,” said Rogers, who made the sixth pitching appearance of his career. “But you try to make the most of it and try to have a little fun with it. ” i mean we have to post this...
🚨 JAKE ROGERS FIRST CAREER STRIKEOUT 🚨 pic. twitter. com/J95DpB3gc3 — Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 22, 2026 There was no PitchCom.
Catcher Dillon Dingler didn’t put down fingers. Oh, no. “Basically, Ding will look at me and I will look back and say, ‘Cutter,’” Rogers said.