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Detroit Tigers' Kerry Carpenter Makes Franchise History as Playoff Race Heats Up

Kerry Carpenter went 4-for-4 with a double, a triple, two singles and an RBI in Wednesday's win over the Colorado Rockies, keeping the Detroit Tigers alive in the hunt for an AL Wild Card spot.
Sam Connon|
Detroit Tigers designated hitter Kerry Carpenter (30) celebrates a double against Colorado Rockies during the fifth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, September 11, 2024.
Detroit Tigers designated hitter Kerry Carpenter (30) celebrates a double against Colorado Rockies during the fifth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Detroit Tigers

Kerry Carpenter may have finished a home run shy of the cycle Wednesday night, but the Detroit Tigers slugger still posted a historic stat line in his team's critical win over the Colorado Rockies.

The 27-year-old designated hitter started the evening off with an RBI triple, playing his part in what turned out to be a six-run first inning for the Tigers. He added a leadoff single in the third and a leadoff double in the fifth, all before capping things off with another single in the seventh.

Carpenter finished the contest 4-for-4 as the Tigers secured a 7-4 win and their second consecutive series victory in the process.

According to StatMuse, Carpenter is the first Tigers player to record at least one triple, one double, one RBI and two singles in a game without recording an out since Lou Whitaker in 1993. It has now been done just 22 times in the franchise's 124-year history, although 20 of those instances came before 1958 and eight occurred in the dead ball era.

Carpenter is batting .293 with 14 home runs, 49 RBI, a .946 OPS and a 2.1 fWAR in 73 games this season. Had he not spent time on the 60-day injured list with lumbar spine inflammation this summer, Carpenter's count stats would surely be a lot more eye-popping.

The Tigers are now 40-33 when Carpenter plays, compared to 35-38 when he doesn't. At 75-71 overall, Detroit is 3.0 games out of the third and final AL Wild Card spot with 16 games left to go.

After closing out their series with the Rockies at 1:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, the Tigers will host the Orioles over the weekend.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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