Caden Dana certainly made an impression in his Major League Baseball debut on Sunday afternoon at Angel Stadium.

The 20-year old Montgomery native allowed two runs over six innings, earning the win for the Los Angeles Angels, in a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

Dana allowed two hits and four walks, with four strikeouts, as the Angels took the deciding game, of the three-game-set, against the Mariners.

After the final out was recorded, Dana’s big league teammates pushed him out onto the field, to lead the postgame victory handshakes. He also received the on-field postgame interview, where he promptly received a Gatorade shower.

“Absolute blessing. Thank you for that bath,” said Dana, while wiping away the Gatorade. “Let’s keep rolling. Let’s do it again.”

If the hard-throwing right-hander had any nerves entering Sunday’s game, they were quelled quickly after Mariners leadoff hitter Victor Robles popped out to right field after just two pitches.
Dana proceeded to throw a 1-2-3 inning in the first, ending the frame with his first big league strikeout against Cal Raleigh.

He retired the first five hitters of the game, until Luke Raley hit a solo home run off Dana in the top of the second.

The Mariners tacked on another run in the top of the third, as Seattle took a 2-1 lead. However, that was the extent of the damage Dana would allow.

Dana escaped jams in both the fourth and fifth innings, before the Angels regained a 3-2 lead on a two-run single from Anthony Rendon in the bottom of the fifth.

The 2022 Don Bosco Prep graduate returned to the mound for the Angels, and was able to complete six innings of work.

“To be honest with you, I didn’t know, but I was hoping we could get it – and he did,” Angels’ manager Ron Washington said during the postgame press conference, on whether he thought Dana would be able to complete six innings. “He showed some composure out there and he showed that he can finish.”

“I don’t think he let any inning affect how [his start] was going,” Washington added. “He just showed he’s got some poise. He’s got a bright future.”

Dana threw 95 pitches in the start, with 54 for strikes. He threw his fastball 52% of the time, while heavily relying on his slider as well. Dana also worked in a cutter, curveball and changeup.
“A loss for words right now. I’m in shock. Great fans, great atmosphere, this has been awesome,” Dana said. “I came back from the fifth and they told me I got one more, and I gave it all I got.”
“He don’t lack confidence,” Washington said. “We never thought after the fifth inning of not sending him back out there. We were going to protect him if anything happened, but every time we decided to get someone up to protect him, he got out of the inning.”

Up until this point of the season, Dana had spent the entire year with the Angels’ Double-A affiliate, the Rocket City Trash Pandas in Madison Alabama. 

There he posted a 9-7 record with a 2.52 ERA over 135 2-3 innings pitched this season. In 23 starts, he has 147 strikeouts and 39 walks. He had allowed just two earned runs in his last five starts.

In July, Dana was selected to represent the Angels in the MLB Futures Game, part of MLB’s All-Star festivities in Arlington, Texas.

Dana was officially promoted, making the jump from Double-A to the Major Leagues, on August 30. He was promoted alongside Rocket City teammate Samuel Aldegheri, a left-handed relief pitcher.

The 20-year-old became the youngest Angels pitcher to win a game since Frank Tanana in 1973, and is now the youngest player in franchise history to record a win in their MLB debut.

Dana, who received the nickname ‘Achilles’ from his Double-A teammates, due to his long blond hair, was given No. 36 by the Angels. Former Angels pitcher Jered Weaver, from 2006-2016, was also known for his long hair and wore No. 36.
Sept. 1 2024 marked a significant milestone for the Dana family. Caden Dana is the youngest of three brothers who have all played affiliated baseball.

Cullen Dana, the eldest born in 1997, was drafted in the 30th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres. However, his career was cut short in 2022 due to injuries.

Later that year, Casey Dana and Caden Dana were both selected by the Angels, Caden in the 11th round out of Don Bosco and Casey in the 16th round out of UConn.

In March of this year, however, Casey was released from the organization, and he went on to play independent ball for part of the summer with the New York Boulders, of the Frontier League.
Caden Dana making it to the big leagues is a moment the family has been waiting for, for a long time.