Kerry Carpenter started the party at Comerica Park in the Detroit Tigers' home opener Friday against the Chicago White Sox.
In the second at-bat of the first inning, Carpenter got out in front of an in-breaking sweeper from White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon and shot it down Comerica Park's right-field line. The ball landed at the base of the right field foul pole and was ruled foul.
The umpires met and overturned the ruling, giving Carpenter his first home run of the season on the 345-foot shot.
Carpenter’s power surge capped a strong offensive day top-to-bottom from the Tigers (3-4) in a 7-4 win in the home opener.
In the fourth, Carpenter sent another slider over the fence, this time from left-handed reliever Brandon Eisert. Eisert came in specifically to face the lefty slugger — Carpenter hit .107 with one home run and a .408 OPS against lefties in 2024 — but Carpenter watched the pitch deep and sent it the other way into the home bullpen in straightaway left.
It is the third career multi-home run game for Carpenter as a Tiger, all at Comerica Park. He is the first Tiger with two home runs in the home opener since Prince Fielder in 2013.
Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty cruised behind the early run support to throw 5⅔ innings with one earned run on three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in his return to Comerica Park.
Carp crush 💪 pic.twitter.com/f60mSkU388
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 4, 2025
[ NEW TIGERS NEWSLETTER! Sign up for The Purr-fect Game, a weekly dose of Tigers news, numbers, analysis for Freep subscribers. ]
Flaherty gave up his lone run in the second inning after Chicago’s Brooks Baldwin slapped a double past Carpenter to drive in a run. Trey Sweeney had a chance to throw out the runner at home, but the relay throw came in wide.
The Tigers retook a 3-1 lead in the third inning. Spencer Torkelson (hit by pitch) and Colt Keith (walk) reached base, setting up an RBI single from Zach McKinstry and an RBI fielder’s choice from Dillon Dingler.
Carpenter’s second home run and a Torkelson RBI single pushed the lead out to four, and Sweeney followed it up with an RBI triple in the fifth inning. Sweeney’s triple traveled 411 feet to the right centerfield gap, which would have been a home run in 22 of the 30 MLB ballparks.
Riley Greene added another insurance run with a 417-foot solo ...
