Spencer Torkelson launched his first home run of the 2026 season, a two-run shot that secured the lead for the Detroit Tigers in a 5-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Comerica Park on Wednesday night. The homer came off a sinker from Chad Patrick and carried over the left-field fence. Casey Mize earned the win with a strong outing.
Detroit took control in the fourth inning when Torkelson connected on Patrick's sinker with a 106.4 mph exit velocity and 24-degree launch angle. This blast followed a patient at-bat where Torkelson fouled off a cutter and worked a favorable count. It marked his first home run since September 20 of the previous year, despite strong underlying metrics like a 97th-percentile chase rate and 93rd-percentile walk rate entering the game. His strikeout rate had risen to 30.2 percent, but improvements in bat speed and hard-hit rate signaled power was imminent. Against fastballs, Torkelson had batted .225 with a .275 slugging percentage, though his average exit velocity reached 93.1 mph with a lower launch angle of 16 degrees compared to 22 last year. Earlier, in the second inning, he crushed a 93.4 mph sinker from DL Hall at 106.2 mph, but an 18-degree launch angle sent it to Brewers left fielder Brandon Lockridge for an out. That was his 13th triple-digit exit velocity ball this season, with only three resulting in hits. Kevin McGonigle added an RBI double in the fifth, and Colt Keith followed with an RBI single to provide insurance runs. Mize improved to 2-1, allowing one run on three hits over six-plus innings, with three walks and seven strikeouts against Milwaukee's offense.
