Riley Greene Makes Tigers History as Detroit Stays Alive in Playoff Race
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Riley Greene remains unstoppable at the plate, and on Monday night he hit his third home run in the last three games to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 5-4 home victory over the Minnesota Twins in the first game of a three-game home series.
Greene entered the game with five extra-base hits (3 2B, 2 HR) over his previous two games, becoming just the 10th Tigers player to accomplish this feat this century and the first since Eric Haase recorded six extra-base hits over a two-game span on Sept. 7 and 9, 2022.
Greene also became just the third Tigers player in the last 20 years with at least five extra-base hits and six RBIs over a two-game stretch, joining Víctor Martínez (May 9-10, 2011) and Miguel Cabrera (April 24-25, 2009).
The story continues. After going 3-for-4 on Monday with a home run and a pair of RBIs, Greene is now 9-for-13 over his last three games, with six extra-base hits, three doubles and an equal number of home runs that have helped him drive in eight runs. There is only one hitter this season with at least nine hits, three home runs and eight RBIs over a three-game span, and he belongs to the National League: Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, who recorded 10 hits, three home runs and eight RBIs between July 17 and 19.
Greene’s Historic Run Puts Him in Rare Tigers Company
When Greene crushed Connor Prielipp’s fastball with Gleyber Torres at first to put the score at 5-2, he entered a historic list of Tigers hitters as the seventh player with at least nine hits, three home runs and eight RBIs over a three-game span.
1. Ty Cobb, 1925: 11 H, 5 HR, 12 RBI.
2. Marty McManus, 1929: 11 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI.
3. Gee Walker, 1937: 9 H, 3 HR, 12 RBI.
4. Al Kaline, 1955: 9 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI.
5. Willie Horton, 1965: 10 H, 5 HR, 12 RBI.
6. Miguel Cabrera, 2009: 9 H, 3 HR, 9 RBI.
7. Riley Greene, 2026: 9 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI.
RILEY SENDS ONE OUT 💣 pic.twitter.com/fVoM2zgzos
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 7, 2026
The last time a hitter accomplished it was 17 years ago, when Miggy punished Angels pitching over a pair of games before staying hot at the plate against the Athletics. The legendary Ty Cobb was the first to reach the milestone, but Horton took it to another level, extending his streak to 12 hits, four home runs and 15 RBIs over four games.
Greene’s case is even more striking because he returned from the injured list and, before starting the streak last weekend in Cleveland, had gone 1-for-13 with five strikeouts over his first three games. Greene now has 29 doubles, 19 home runs and 64 RBIs this season. With that performance, he is the first Tiger to reach at least 27 doubles, 18 home runs and 62 RBIs in three consecutive seasons since Miguel Cabrera and J.D. Martinez, who did it from 2014 to 2016.
In Detroit history, only two players have reached those numbers in four or more consecutive seasons: Cabrera (5, 2008-12) and Travis Fryman (4, 1991-94). Greene also joins Bobby Higginson (1996-98) as the only left-handed hitters in franchise history to reach those numbers (27 2B, 18 HR, 62 RBI) for three straight seasons.
Just five days after these two clubs last faced each other in Minneapolis, the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins met again, this time at Comerica Park. This is the start of a six-game homestand for the Tigers against two teams, which concludes with a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies beginning Friday.
The Tigers return home to Detroit following a 2-5 road trip through Minnesota (1-2) and Cleveland (1-3), and have lost 17 of their last 23 games since Aug. 14. They have lost seven consecutive series since their matchup against the White Sox from Aug. 14-16, the club’s longest series losing streak since an eight-series skid from May 4-31.
Greene has carried the team with his historic performance to lead the offense in two wins over the last three games, but Detroit needs much more than that to keep its playoff hopes alive.
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Yirsandy is a baseball writer specializing in MLB coverage with experience across multiple teams and storylines. He currently writes for Diamond Centric, where he covers the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Kansas City Royals. My work focuses on game coverage, player analysis, and storytelling that connects performance with context. My Substack has also been an important part of my writing development, where I’ve built much of my baseball coverage and storytelling voice over time. I’m passionate about combining reporting, research, and thoughtful analysis to produce engaging baseball content for readers.
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