DETROIT — The game wasn’t in doubt. The Tigers were walloping Houston on Monday night, and as the ninth inning began, most fans simply wanted to begin heading home on a beautiful summer night.

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The Tigers’ closer of two years ago was back in familiar territory. And Lange, who has always relied on adrenaline coming out of the bullpen, was basking in a different kind of emotion.

“I was fighting tears, man,” said Lange, who pitched in a major league game for the first time since May 22, 2024. Lange was optioned to Toledo shortly after and suffered his arm injury in June 2024.

“I was just so anxious to get in there and get it going, go out there and have some fun,” Lange said. “Whatever the results were going to be was fine, and I’d accepted that. But I put in a lot of work

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