WATCH: Detroit Tigers Former Top Prospect Gets First Playoff Hit With RBI Double
The Detroit Tigers brought playoff baseball back to the city for the first time in a decade on Wednesday, and with the series tied up and a chance for them to take an important 2-1 lead, the team was ready to keep the fans engaged early and often.
They accomplished that immediately in the bottom of the first inning when Riley Greene drove in Parker Meadows who led off with a single of his own.
Keider Montero got the start today from manager A.J. Hinch, but true to the skipper's original words about his gameplan, chaos ensued when he pulled the right-hander after one frame and deployed another bullpen game.
Outside of the opener where this strategy backfired, it's worked for the Tigers.
Still, knowing the type of offense the Cleveland Guardians have, more run support for the inexperienced relief staff was something Detroit was looking for, and with the score at 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth, their former top prospect Spencer Torkelson had a chance to make his presence felt.
Prior to that at-bat, the slugger had been 0-for-13 with eight strikeouts.
This time, though, he came through for the Tigers with an RBI double.
Spencer Torkelson adds on another 🔥
— MLB (@MLB) October 9, 2024
Detroit is going wild 😤 #ALDS pic.twitter.com/3SO4b2kUd2
Torkelson has had his ups and downs this year.
After hitting 31 homers in 2023, the 2020 No. 1 overall pick was sent down the minors in early-June so he could figure out his swing following prolonged struggles and didn't get recalled until mid-August.
The slugger is going to be a huge part of this franchise going forward, and despite him not being effective at the plate in the playoffs prior to his first career postseason hit, he flashed some great defense at first base.
Hopefully this is what gets him going for the remainder of October.
