Caden Dana allowed two runs and just two hits in six impressive innings in his major league debut, lifting the Los Angeles Angels to a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners Sunday afternoon in Anaheim, Calif.
At 20 years, eight months of age, Dana is the second youngest player currently in the majors, older only than Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio (20 years, five months). He is the youngest pitcher to start a game for the Angels since Frank Tanana (20 years, four months) in 1973.
Dana allowed a solo home run to Luke Raley in the second inning and a double by Josh Rojas in the third, but nothing else to earn the victory. He struck out four and walked four while making 95 pitches.
Three Angels relievers combined to throw three scoreless innings, capped by closer Ben Joyce, who earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth.
Taylor Ward led the Angels offense with a home run and double, and Anthony Rendon’s two-out, two-run single in the fifth turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead against Mariners starter Bryce Miller (10-8) when Ward hit Miller’s second pitch of the game over the fence in left field for a home run in the bottom of the first inning.
Dana (1-0) retired the first five Mariners batters before Raley homered with two out in the second inning, tying the game at 1-1.
In the third inning, the Mariners took a 2-1 lead after Rojas led off with a double, took third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Victor Robles.
The Angels knocked Miller out of the game in the fifth with two runs, the rally getting started on a one-out double by Ward. Zach Neto was hit by a pitch, and Nolan Schanuel followed with a fly out to right center, Ward tagging and taking third.
Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez, though he had no play on Ward, threw towards third base, allowing Neto to tag and take second.
It turned out to be a big play as Rendon followed with a line drive off the glove of shortstop Leo Rivas, the ball trickling into shallow left-center field and allowing both Ward and Neto to score to put the Angels up 3-2.
Miller went 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while making 91 pitches.
