Alec Mills
Alec Thomas Mills
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 4", Weight 185 lb.
- School University of Tennessee at Martin
- High School Montgomery Central High School
- Debut May 18, 2016
- Born November 30, 1991 in Clarksville, TN USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Pitcher Alec Mills began his professional career in 2012.
He was never considered a major talent growing up, and was in fact a walk-on when he made the baseball team at the University of Tennessee at Martin, which is not exactly a big-time college power. He was taken by the Kansas City Royals in the 22nd round of the 2012 amateur draft. After a mediocre first campaign (though he did average 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings), Mills went 2-3 with a 1.59 ERA in 18 games (3 starts) for the Lexington Legends in 2013. He struck out 47 batters in 45 1/3 innings and was a South Atlantic League Mid-Season All-Star that season. He followed that with a 4-3 record with a 2.35 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) between the Legends and Idaho Falls Chukars in 2014.
Mills made his major league debut for the Royals in 2016. He gave up 5 runs in 3 1/3 innings over 3 games. He was designated for assignment when the Royals signed free agent pitcher Jason Hammel in February of 2017, then on February 8th was traded to the Chicago Cubs for OF Donnie Dewees.
On September 13, 2020, making only the 15th start of his career for the Cubs, he pitched a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers in a 12-0 win. He was expected to pitch out of the bullpen that season, but an injury to José Quintana opened up a spot in the starting rotation, and he seized the opportunity offered him. He struck out 5 batters and walked 3 in the game, needing 114 pitches to complete the 9 innings. He did not overpower batters, as there were only five swinging strikes all game, an abnormally low number; however, he pitched brilliantly on the corners, and the Brewers hardly hit any ball with authority all game. Before this game, his career high in innings pitched had been 7. He ended the season at 5-5, 4.48 in 11 starts.
Further Reading[edit]
- Jordan Bastian: "Mills' unlikely journey culminates in no-hitter", mlb.com, September 13, 2020. [1]
- Thomas Harrigan et al.: "17 stats, facts from Mills' stunning no-hitter", mlb.com, September 13, 2020. [2]
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