00:00Tigers fans, as your club opens a series tonight in Atlanta, there's one storyline that simply
00:06demands your attention. Spencer Torkelson is on one of the most electrifying power binges
00:11in franchise history, and the stage is set for him to keep rewriting the record books.
00:15Until this past week's stretch of five consecutive games with a home run, Torkelson's last long
00:24ball came way back on September 20th of last year against the Braves. Specifically, off then
00:31Atlanta reliever Pierce Johnson, the very same pitcher he took deep again this past Sunday in
00:35Cincinnati, one night earlier that season. On September 19th, he also went yard off Braves
00:41starter Bryce Elder for his 30th homer of the year. Toss in the two home runs he hit against Atlanta
00:48during their 2023 visit to Comerica Park, and Torkelson has now homered in four of his six
00:54career games against the Braves, all of that makes the Tigers' trip to Truist Park. Starting tonight
01:00at 7.15 ET on Detroit Sportsnet and TBS, that much more intriguing. By matching the Tigers' all-time
01:08record with a five-game home run streak, Torkelson has already placed his name alongside some of the
01:13most legendary sluggers in team history. Rudy York, AUG 22-25, 1937. Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg,
01:20May 10-14, 1940. Vic Wirtz, July 27, AUG 1, 1950. Willie Horton, AUG 29-1, 1969. And Marcus Thames,
01:31June 13-17, 2008. If he goes deep on Tuesday, he wouldn't just claim that record for himself,
01:37he would become the first MLB hitter with a six-game home run streak since Rafael Devers
01:42did it from May 15-20, 2024. Devers is the only big leaguer to accomplish that feat since 2020,
01:49and if the power surge continues through the whole series in Atlanta, the major league record of eight
01:54straight games with a homer, last achieved by Ken Griffey Jr. from July 20-28, 1993, and done by only
02:02three players ever, suddenly comes into view. And Torkelson has never played at Truist Park, and the
02:08Tigers' most recent visit there in June 2024 came while he was with AAA Toledo, and his bat was sorely
02:14missed. Detroit was swept while scoring just two runs and hitting zero homers. In the three-game set,
02:20according to multi-year park factors, Truist plays about average for hitters overall, though elite
02:26right-handed bats like Ronald Acuna Jr. and Austin Riley have certainly done their share of slugging there
02:31over the years. Perhaps the bigger challenge for Torkelson will be getting pitches he can actually drive
02:36in the final two games in Cincinnati. The Reds treated him like a threat they simply could not let
02:42beat them. Manager Terry Francona
02:51summoned righty sweeper specialist Connor Phillips on Saturday after Torkelson had homered earlier off
02:56Brady Singer. Phillips struck him out on three sweepers. On Sunday, Francona went to Pierce Johnson
03:02with the same game plan. But Johnson, who had surrendered a homer to Torkelson on a curveball
03:07last September, tried to attack with fastballs and paid the price. The secret behind Torkelson's
03:12success is no mystery. He's demolishing fastballs, truthfully. He's been doing that for a large
03:17portion of the season, but last week he added even more launch angle to already elite exit velocities.
03:23Over the course of the streak, he's 5-for-12, against fastballs. Every one of those hits a home run.
03:29After going just 9-for-40 with two doubles off heaters prior to this outburst,
03:34six of the 11 fastballs he has put in play during the streak have left his bat at over 100
03:39miles per
03:40hour. And he's also laced two doubles on off-speed pitches. Remarkably, he hasn't swung and missed at
03:45a single four-seam fastball since the streak began. Tuesday's matchup presents an interesting test in
03:51Braves left-hander Martin Perez, a pitcher Torkelson has seen plenty of over the last few years.
03:58He's 5-for-21 lifetime against Perez with two doubles but no home runs, and his last look at
04:04him came with the White Sox last September. While Perez relies on his sinker more than any other
04:09offering, it still makes up less than a third of his pitch mix, 32.5%, blended with change-ups,
04:1628.8%, cutters, 22%, and curveballs, 11.3%. He'll also mix in the occasional four-seamer to right-handed
04:24hitters. A pitch Torkelson just might be ready to test, and Perez has surrendered three homers this
04:30season, two of them in his last start against the Nationals this past Wednesday. On Wednesday,
04:35the Braves are handing the ball to their number-two prospect, J.R. Ritchie, who turned in a very
04:40encouraging MLB debut last week. Both runs he allowed to the Nationals, however, came on home runs,
04:47albeit both by left-handed hitters, and Thursday's series finale could then set up a rematch between
04:53Torkelson and Elder. The same starter Torkelson took deep for his 30th homer last September,
04:58put it all together, and a clear path exists for Torkelson to keep this unforgettable streak
05:02rolling. So, Tigers faithful, do you believe Torkelson can make history this week, and take
05:07sole ownership of the franchise record, and maybe even put an MLB milestone in his sights?
05:14It's going to be must-watch baseball, and every swing counts.
Comments