On Sunday, Phil Mickelson became the oldest golfer in history to win a Major as he won the PGA Championship at the age of 50.
But many forget that Mickelson once had a tryout with the Toledo Mud Hens before he ever won his first Major.
That tryout came back in 2003 when Mickelson threw batting practice to 18 Mud Hens players with the hopes of pitching in a real game with the Detroit Tigers AAA affiliate.
We knew him when.
It's great to see a former Mud Hen go on to do great things. 😉🏆#PGAChampionship pic.twitter.com/LDhVKqlZC8
— Toledo Mud Hens (@MudHens) May 23, 2021
Following the tryout, Tigers assistant GM Al Avila notified Mickelson that it was not going to happen.
“We appreciate his competitive efforts and also appreciate the first-class manner in which he has handled himself,” Avila said.
Mickelson was disappointed that he was not going to be given a chance to throw in a real game but he said he would continue to work on his velocity.
“If I can get my velocity up, we may revisit this,” he said. “Golf is my No. 1 priority and always will be. Throwing a baseball is an important part of my workout program, so if I can get my speed to 85 mph or above consistently, I wouldn't rule out trying this again.”
-Quotes via Deseret News (Link)
