An exhausting series against the Milwaukee Brewers ended with a moment the Detroit Tigers — and Spencer Torkelson — desperately needed.
Bottom of the ninth. Big arm on the mound. Game on the line.
He waited, got the fastball, and pulled it out for a walk-off home run — the first of his career — sending the Tigers off with a series win and a Gatorade bath celebration at Comerica Park.
"It's staying locked in, being ready for your moment and attacking it."Spencer Torkelson on his first-career walk-off home run. pic.twitter.com/hdg8e8si3g
This is what you need against a bullpen like Milwaukee’s.
Power arms. Upper 90s velocity. Nasty secondary stuff. Little margin for error.
Torkelson stayed patient, didn’t chase, and capitalized when the pitch came. It was his second home run in as many games, and easily his biggest swing of the season.
It hasn’t been a clean start to the year for him, and expectations have shifted. But this is the version of Torkelson the Tigers can win with — not a star, but a contributor who can deliver in big spots.
Detroit came out strong, putting runs on the board early and backing Tarik Skubal, who looked dominant out of the gate.
Skubal retired his first 11 hitters and looked in complete control, but the middle innings told a different story.
Milwaukee did what they always do — grind at-bats, put the ball in play, and force things to happen. Soft contact, bunts, singles the other way. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked.
Suddenly, a game that felt in hand turned into a battle.
When the Brewers grabbed momentum late, it felt like the kind of game that could slip away.
A clutch home run tied things up and kept the game alive, setting the stage for the ninth inning.
Against one of Milwaukee’s toughest relievers, Detroit found a way — and Torkelson finished it.
After getting blown out earlier in the series, the Tigers bounced back with strong pitching, cleaner baseball, and timely hits over the final two games.
With a tough road trip looming against Cincinnati and Atlanta, this was a series Detroit had to find a way to win.
Yes, there were moments where it felt like it could get away.
But good teams respond, and the Tigers did exactly that.