Until last week’s run of five consecutive games with a home run, Spencer Torkelson’s last homer was last Sept. 20 against the Braves (actually, then-Braves reliever Pierce Johnson, the same reliever he homered against on Sunday in Cincinnati). He also homered Sept. 19 against the Braves and starter Bryce Elder for his 30th of the season.
Torkelson also had two homers against the Braves during their visit to Comerica Park in 2023. He has homered in four of six games against Atlanta in his career.
All of which makes the Tigers’ visit to Atlanta beginning tonight (7:15 ET, Detroit SportsNet, TBS) that much more intriguing.
Torkelson’s five-game homer streak has matched the Tigers’ franchise record, shared with Rudy York (Aug. 22-25, 1937), Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg (May 10-14, 1940), Vic Wertz (July 27-Aug. 1, 1950), Willie Horton (Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 1969) and Marcus Thames (June 13-17, 2008). A home run on Tuesday would not only give Torkelson the team record on his own, it would make him the first MLB hitter with a six-game homer streak since Rafael Devers two years ago (May 15-20, 2024). Devers is the only Major Leaguer to do it since 2020.
If Torkelson can keep slugging in Atlanta, the Major League record of eight consecutive games with a homer is within reach. Three players have done that, most recently Ken Griffey Jr. (July 20-28, 1993).
Torkelson has never played at Truist Park. The Tigers’ last visit there in June 2024 came while Torkelson was at Triple-A Toledo. They missed his bat in that three-game series, as they were held to two runs and no homers in a sweep. It plays about average for hitters by multi-year Park Factors, though top right-handed hitters Ronald Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley have certainly slugged there over the years.
The bigger challenge for Torkelson might be getting pitches he can hit out. The last two games in Cincinnati finally saw Torkelson approached as a hitter the Reds didn’t want to beat them. Reds manager Terry Francona brought in righty sweeper specialist Connor Phillips to face Torkelson on Saturday after Torkelson homered off Brady Singer earlier; Phillips struck him out on three sweepers. Francona brought in Johnson on Sunday with the same idea, but Johnson – having given up a homer to Torkelson on a curveball last September – tried to throw fastballs and paid for it.
Torkelson’s success is no secret: He’s crushing fastballs. He really has been doing so for much of the season, but last week saw him add more launch angle to already high exit velocities. He’s 5-for-12, all homers, off fastballs over the course of the streak after going 9-for-40 with two doubles off fastballs up to that point. Six of the 11 fastballs he has put in play during the streak have topped 100 mph in exit velocity, as well as two doubles on offspeed. He has not swung and missed on a four-seam fastball since the streak began.
Torkelson could get a test Tuesday in Braves starter Martín Pérez, a lefty Torkelson has seen plenty over the past few years. He’s 5-for-21 with two doubles but no homers off Pérez, having last seen him with the White Sox last September. But while Pérez throws more sinkers than any other pitch, it still comprises less than a third of his pitch count (32.5%), mixed in with changeups (28.8%), cutters (22%) and curveballs (11.3%). He’ll also mix in an occasional four-seamer to right-handed hitters, though Torkelson might test that.
Pérez has given up three homers this season, two of them in his last start against the Nationals last Wednesday.
The Braves send their No. 2 prospect JR Ritchie to the mound on Wednesday coming off a very good MLB debut last week, but both runs he gave up to the Nationals came on homers, albeit both to left-handed hitters. Thursday’s series finale could pit Torkelson against Elder in a rematch of last season's meeting.
Put it all together, and there’s a path for Torkelson to keep this streak going. It’s certainly worth watching.