Tigers’ Power Surge Against Yankees Looked Like Their 2025 First Half
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The Detroit Tigers didn't hold back against the New York Yankees on Sunday, mashing their way to a dominant 12-1 win. While Detroit hasn't had the most success in terms of overall record this spring, this one performance from key players has to have Tigers fans excited for opening day.
Not only did the Tigers beat the Yankees, a team that has been at the top of their game for the past two decades, but they did so in a way that resembled their first half of 2025. Remember that team? Before the All-Star break? Yeah, them, they were really good and very dangerous at the plate.
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Tigers Go Yard Multiple Times
Getting the game started, Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson took Luis Gil deep in the first inning, hitting a three-run home run, driving in both Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith. Detroit's first baseman was clutch with the bat in his hands last season, and this is a good sign for things to come.
Not too much later, Tigers leadoff hitter Matt Vierling liked one pitch he saw and sent it over the wall as well, hitting his second homer of the spring. This spring has been a reminder of how good Vierling can be when healthy, and he will continue to be a threat this season for Detroit.
And if Torkelson hit a home run, you know his best friend on the team, Riley Greene, had to match him. Greene has been relatively quiet at the plate this spring, but one uppercut swing that he's become known for sent a ball deep into right-center field.
If the Tigers are getting power from those players in spring, it needs to carry over into opening day and beyond. So long as Detroit gets off to a hot start in 2026, they'll remind everyone that maybe the second half of 2025 was a fluke and this team is made for the big time.
Even Tigers 2025 first-round MLB Draft pick Jordan Yost, who hit in his first at-bat this spring with Detroit, hit a grand slam to further pad the Tigers' lead. Yost isn't likely to make the opening day roster, or make his MLB debut this season for that matter, but man, what a way to stand out.
The Tigers take on the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, March 16, at 1:05 PM EST, as time continues to tick down to opening day.
Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.