ARLINGTON, Texas -- Detroit Tigers right-hander Kenta Maeda left his road start against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night after throwing two pitches because of right-side abdominal discomfort.
Maeda, 36, threw a four-seam fastball for a strike and a slider for a ball, after which he winced. Catcher Jake Rogers headed to the mound, and manager A.J. Hinch, trainer Ryne Eubanks and interpreter Daichi Sekizaki headed there from the dugout. During the subsequent conference, Maeda rubbed his right side.
Maeda took a few warmup pitches. He then headed for the dugout with Hinch, Eubanks and Sekizaki.
Maeda's start was the majors' shortest since Miami's Pablo Lopez was ejected after hitting Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr. with the game's opening pitch on July 2, 2021. Five Tigers relievers followed Maeda beginning with Joey Wentz, whose 2⅔ innings and 65 pitches were season highs while allowing three runs. The fifth was position player Zach McKinstry.
Maeda is 2-2 with a 6.25 ERA in nine starts. He signed as a free agent with the Tigers in November following four seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and three with the Minnesota Twins.
Wednesday's outing was his third since coming off the injured list with a viral infection. He was making his 200th major league appearance, the 12th among Japanese-born pitchers to reach that milestone.
The Rangers beat the Tigers 9-1 to avoid a sweep.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.