Spencer Torkelson’s two-run homer marked a key moment in the eighth inning as the Detroit Tigers staged a comeback to secure a 6-5 victory over the Miami Marlins on Monday night.
Miami took the lead with a two-run homer from Otto Lopez in the top of the eighth, making it 5-3. But the Tigers quickly responded as Wenceel Pérez doubled and scored on Andy Ibáñez’s single. Then, with one out, Torkelson smashed a 446-foot home run over the left-center field bullpen on a 1-2 slider from Anthony Maldonado.
Torkelson expressed his satisfaction, saying, “The guys put together some really good at-bats and I wanted to keep it going. I was hoping to get something up that I could drive and that’s what happened.”
It was a tough loss for Maldonado, who faced his first defeat in his MLB career of eight games.
Marlins manager Skip Schumacher noted, “The slider is (Maldonado’s) out pitch, so he’s got to throw it there. He just failed to expand the zone. It backed up and hung middle-up to a really dangerous hitter and unfortunately, he didn’t miss it.”
Torkelson’s homer came a day after he hit his first of the season in a 9-3 loss to the Houston Astros. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch praised Torkelson’s performance, saying, “This has been a long stretch for him, but he came up big in a big spot.”
The victory marked the Tigers’ third win in 10 games, while the Marlins have now lost 8 of their last 10. Alex Faedo earned the win despite allowing Lopez’s homer in the eighth, and Jason Foley secured his 10th save with a perfect ninth inning.
