Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize, the second starting pitcher in the five-man rotation, received an inquiry a couple weeks ago from Kan Ikeda.
Ikeda, the team's advance scouting manager, wanted to know when Mize would be ready to study the Chicago White Sox, the Tigers' opponent for Opening Day on Friday and a three-game series through Sunday.
"The day after my last start, go ahead and put the pack in my locker," Mize told Ikeda during spring training, "and I'll get to work on them."
The time is now for the Tigers to face the White Sox, jumpstarting the 2022 season and what could be an intense race for the American League Central crown.