Gipson-Long pitches effectively and Torkelson homers as the Tigers beat the Orioles 5-3
BALTIMORE — Spencer Torkelson homered and Sawyer Gipson-Long pitched effectively out of the bullpen to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3 on Tuesday night.
Zach McKinstry hit two triples for the Tigers, who have won 11 of 15 and own the best record in the majors at 44-24. Detroit is 4-0 against the Orioles this season, outscoring them 22-9.
Making his second start of the season as an opener for the Tigers, Brant Hurter allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings. Chase Lee (3-0) got the last out in the third, and Gipson-Long entered in the fourth after Javier Báez hit an RBI single in the top half for a 2-1 lead.
Making his second appearance of the year after missing the entire 2024 season due to Tommy John and hip surgeries, Gipson-Long gave up one run and three hits with five strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
Gipson-Long began the 2024 season on the IL with a groin strain. After just one rehab start, he underwent elbow surgery that April, followed by left hip surgery in July.
The 27-year-old right-hander finally returned to the big leagues last week, but did not get a decision against the White Sox.
Detroit scored five runs off Cade Povich (1-5) in the first five innings. The big blow was Torkelson's 16th homer, a drive to center with a man on that made it 5-1 in the fifth.
Will Vest worked the ninth and earned his 11th save despite allowing a solo homer to Jordan Westburg.
Povich retired the first two batters in the fifth before Riley Greene doubled, Dillon Dingler hit an RBI single and Torkelson went deep,
Detroit is 16-2 in its last 18 games against the AL East, its best mark since an 18-2 run against that division in 1973.
The series continues Wednesday night with Detroit RHP Casey Mize (6-1, 2.91 ERA) — who is 4-0 in seven starts since April 13 — going up against RHP Zach Eflin (5-2, 4.47 ERA).
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Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Inside the rise of Tommy Kahnle, the Detroit Tigers reliever with an elite changeup
Sixty-one. That's how many consecutive changeups right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle threw during the New York Yankees' 2024 postseason run — a streak that began in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians and ended in Game 3 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Advertisement "I wasn't really sure what the number was," Kahnle said, reflecting on his 61 changeups in a row, "but in the back of my head, I'm like, 'I have not thrown a fastball in a long time.' It was working." The Detroit Tigers signed Kahnle to a one-year, $7.75 million contract and have wasted no time calling on their new high-leverage reliever in some of the most important moments this season, including save situations in the ninth inning. The 11-year MLB veteran has racked up eight saves in 28 games for the Tigers in the 2025 season, following a total of just eight saves in 390 games in his first 10 seasons. Get a grip on a great Father's Day gift: Our new Tigers book! He is throwing his changeup a career-high 84% of the time. Advertisement "Speaking of unicorns, it's a pitch where everyone in baseball knows how he pitches," manager A.J. Hinch said, "and yet he finds a way to get soft contact and miss bats and continue to pound the zone. Fun player because he can be utilized at any point of the game, and he doesn't change." MILESTONE: Tigers' Tommy Kahnle reflects on 10 years of MLB service time: 'It's an honor' Detroit Tigers pitcher Tommy Kahnle (43) throws against New York Yankees during the ninth inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Monday, April 7, 2025. Kahnle is a changeup artist. But the 35-year-old wouldn't be who he is without a lesson from pitching coach Carlos Chantres more than 13 years ago. A career-changing adjustment occurred in 2011, when Kahnle pitched for the Charleston RiverDogs, the Low-A affiliate of the Yankees. Advertisement He didn't make his MLB debut until 2014. "It's been a while," Chantres said. "Back then, we didn't have all the technology we have now," Chantres continued. "It was old-school baseball — use your eyes, see what hitters do. He had a two-seam changeup. We weren't seeing the swing and miss." Carlos Chantres, who works as the Latin American pitching coordinator for the Chicago Cubs. One day in 2011, during a pregame bullpen session at a small South Carolina ballpark, Chantres approached Kahnle with a simple question: "Tommy, how do you grip your changeup?" Kahnle didn't say a word. He just held up the two-seam changeup grip. "Most of your fastballs are four-seam, right?" Chantres asked. "Yeah," Kahnle said. Advertisement "Then why don't we try a four-seam changeup grip?" Chantres asked. "It seems like hitters are seeing this one pretty good." Since Kahnle threw a four-seam fastball, switching to a four-seam changeup grip helped him tunnel the two pitches, making the changeup mirror his fastball out of the hand before dropping late and generating swings and misses. To this day, Kahnle still uses that grip. "He liked the feel," Chantres said. JEFF SEIDEL: Tigers have 'madhouse of a bullpen,' and Will Vest leads the vibe In 2011, the Yankees — and every other MLB team — didn't have advanced technology like they do in 2025. There was just a computer system and a camera, so Chantres couldn't fully evaluate the new changeup in the bullpen. Advertisement The real test came in a live game. Once Kahnle threw it, the feedback from hitters was immediate. The four-seam grip gave the changeup more depth. It missed bats. "Oh (expletive), there it is," Chantres said. BULLPEN STRIKES AGAIN: Tigers bring back 'pitching chaos' strategy for win, led by Brant Hurter 'Always had a great changeup' For a long time, Kahnle's changeup complemented his four-seam fastball, which maxed out 100.6 mph in 2017. He also mixed in a sinker, slider, cutter and curveball at various points in his career, but the fastball remained his primary weapon, followed by the changeup as his second-most-used pitch. Advertisement His fastball velocity began to dip in 2019. That's when the changeup took over as his go-to pitch. "I always had a great changeup," Kahnle said. "We just didn't utilize it a lot because I had an elite fastball at the time. Eventually, we made the switch. Every year since then, the usage has just gotten higher and higher." In 2019, Kahnle threw 51.9% changeups, 44.2% four-seam fastballs and 3.9% sliders. From there, his changeup usage surged — all the way to 84% in 2025. Since 2019, only Devin Williams (2,541) and Trevor Richards (2,201) have thrown more changeups than Kahnle's 2,088 among MLB relievers. Advertisement Hitters still haven't solved it: They're batting just .155 off Kahnle's changeup since 2019 — and only .148 in 2025. By 2022, fellow pitchers had picked up on Kahnle's changeup usage, though hitters had been aware of it for a few years. That season, he pitched for the Dodgers. His changeup became a running joke in the clubhouse. "A lot of guys with L.A. were chirping about it: You could throw this pitch 100 times, they know it's coming, and they still can't hit it," Kahnle said. "It gave me a good laugh." [ NEW TIGERS NEWSLETTER! Sign up for The Purr-fect Game, a weekly dose of Tigers news, numbers and analysis for Freep subscribers, here. ] Advertisement Sometimes, Kahnle second-guesses the extreme changeup usage, which has been north of 70% in four straight seasons. He entered 2025 with the Tigers hoping to scale it back, but the data — and the results — keep reinforcing the changeup. So do his teammates. "You know it's coming, and you still really can't hit it," said Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka, who caught Kahnle for years in the Yankees' organization, dating to their time in Low-A Charleston in 2011 — the year Kahnle learned the four-seam changeup grip. "It's definitely something special." The person behind the pitcher Detroit Tigers pitcher Tommy Kahnle works out during spring training at TigerTown in Lakeland, Fla. on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. Kahnle and Higashioka met for the first time in 2011. Advertisement They had just turned 21. "We were all pretty wild back then," Higashioka said. Every day, Kahnle refused to tie his shoes while running in warmups and shagging fly balls during batting practice, but he eventually laced them up for the game. "Tommy, you're going to twist your ankle," said Chantres, the pitching coach who taught Kahnle the changeup grip. "You got to tie your shoes." "No, Carlos, I've got the strongest ankles in America," Kahnle said. He's goofy like that. "Tommy still is wild," Higashioka said. For example, Kahnle shaves his entire body as a personal punishment when he allows a run — a tradition he started in the minor leagues and still follows today. He is the loudest player in the Tigers' clubhouse, collects Philadelphia Eagles jerseys, wears a Notre Dame football helmet and keeps a video game console with a monitor in his locker. He's also known for his caffeine addiction, having graduated from five Red Bulls a day to two C4 Energy drinks and two large cups of coffee. Advertisement How does Kahnle describe his personality? "High-energy, carefree, just having fun," he said. Detroit Tigers pitcher Tommy Kahnle (43) high-fives teammates after the win over the Baltimore Orioles during Game 2 of a doubleheader at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, April 26, 2025. It's impossible not to love him. "He keeps everyone loose," Higashioka said. Kahnle and Higashioka worked together for a few years in the minors with the Yankees, then again in the big leagues after Kahnle returned to the Yankees in 2017, following stints with the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox. Higashioka had a part in the evolution of Kahnle's changeup usage. "When he came back to us, he was throwing more fastballs," Higashioka said. "Over time, the data was showing that his changeup was unhittable, so the coaches kept pushing us to throw more and more changeups. Apparently, it doesn't matter if people know it's coming. It's that good." 'Big statement for him' The personality, the contract, the changeup — it has all led Kahnle to becoming a key piece of the Tigers' bullpen in the 2025 season. In Detroit, he has stepped into a closer role for the first time in his 11-year MLB career. Advertisement His journey traces back to that grip change in 2011. And Kahnle still credits Chantres. A TEAM PLAYER: Tigers reliever Tommy Kahnle not picky about role with A.J. Hinch, Chris Fetter Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle reacts after the Tigers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. "That's a good feeling as a coach," said Chantres, now 49 and working as the Chicago Cubs' Latin American pitching coordinator. "I've been in this game for many years. A lot of guys that I've taught got to the big leagues, but when people remember stuff like that, it's a good feeling." In 2025, Kahnle owns a career-best 1.24 ERA with eight walks and 26 strikeouts across 29 innings in 28 games, notching eight saves in 11 opportunities. He generates whiffs, limits walks and induces ground-ball contact. Advertisement The Tigers have deployed a two-closer system this season, with Kahnle and fellow right-handed reliever Will Vest combining for 19 saves: 11 from Vest, eight from Kahnle. Kahnle is happy to pitch in any role. But the Tigers want him — and his changeup — in the biggest moments. "Every good team needs a good closer — somebody you can rely on to keep the score where it's at and win games," Higashioka said. "The fact that he's closing, and the Tigers have the best record in the American League, that's a big statement for him." Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@ or follow him @EvanPetzold. Advertisement Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!' by the Free Press at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tommy Kahnle and elite changeup fueling Detroit Tigers bullpen
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Inside Pat McAfee's world: Adam Schefter's ban, solo GameDay dreams, possibly more live events
Pat McAfee's style is born from WWE DNA. McAfee is a character with traces of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Roman Reigns — only real. He is outlandish, impulsive and lives in his own McAfeesphere. McAfee's unpredictable nature in writing his script is intoxicating for his audience. Like the best WWE stars, he can have his hand out to shake on an agreement and then quickly pull it away. That's Pat McAfee's music. Advertisement In recent weeks, McAfee has touted '#UpToSomethingSZN' on his social media feeds, which is the term he uses when he is thinking about new deals. While he is currently under contract with ESPN and WWE, the constraints of signed agreements have never stopped him. McAfee tends to get what he wants, which was exemplified by the right to swear on ESPN during his daily talk program, 'The Pat McAfee Show.' This privilege, a first in the network's long history, was part of McAfee's five-year, $85 million-plus licensing agreement with ESPN that he signed in the spring of 2023. McAfee has two years left on his College GameDay contract. Last year, he considered not returning before re-signing. He has mused with associates about starting his own, independent version of GameDay, according to sources briefed on discussions. This does not appear to be happening, at least not now. But he is mercurial and can make big decisions seemingly on whims. McAfee cares about his image. During a GameDay stop in Norman, Oklahoma, last fall, McAfee grew upset about being shown swinging and missing during a segment in which he faced a University of Oklahoma softball pitcher. McAfee, according to sources briefed on the incident, demanded to know the name of the GameDay staff member who put it on the air, but he was denied the information. He has essentially banned ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter from his program since March. The usually omnipresent Schefter hasn't been on 'The Pat McAfee Show' since that month's free agent deadline. Sources said that the main issue stemmed from one incident. One afternoon, McAfee wanted Schefter on his program. Schefter was appearing on an ESPN2 free agency special and was unable to make it. Schefter, formerly a McAfee Show regular, has been banished ever since. (A McAfee sidekick, Ty Schmit, has remained a regular on Schefter's podcast). Advertisement Schefter's rival, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, has been on McAfee's show instead. Prior to McAfee's program airing on ESPN, Rapoport had been a regular. ESPN NFL newcomer Peter Schrager also has appeared. 'Pat and his show are thriving on ESPN,' ESPN president of content Burke Magnus said in a statement. 'We are very pleased with the partnership. That said, in the nearly three years since Pat has brought his show to our platforms, we've continuously seen those out there that are seemingly obsessed with wanting to see Pat fail on ESPN. This rumor is just the latest example of that. Pat and his show continue to break the mold and reach new audiences, and we look forward to the continued success together.' Magnus did not answer any questions. McAfee did not return messages. ESPN declined further comment. Hours after The Athletic reached out about Schefter's banishment, an ESPN spokesperson said that Schefter will return to McAfee's show on Thursday for the first time in around three months. Besides the behind-the-scenes machinations, McAfee has also been in the middle of on-air headlines. He has discussed a false internet rumor about an unknown 18-year-old college student, which made national headlines, called a now-former top ESPN executive a 'rat' and allowed Aaron Rodgers to pontificate political and medical theories on the all-sports network. McAfee likes to pretend like he is some dumb jock, but he is smart and has quickly figured out the sports media business. He can do good and charitable TV, like his must-see kicking segments during GameDay, where he has given college students the chance to make a field goal for hundreds of thousands of dollars. He and Nick Saban, a yin-and-yang combo, have breathed new life into the iconic program. All in all, McAfee freelances, not guided by some traditional media playbook. He is gutsy, willing to jump from his WWE commentator seat and into the ring, and then make a bet-on-himself career turn. Advertisement In 2017, McAfee, then just 29 with knee issues, walked away from a $2.8 million salary as the punter for the Indianapolis Colts to join Barstool Sports. After several moves, his popularity led to a reported four-year, $120 million deal with FanDuel. Two years ago, he left that contract before its completion to sign his licensing deal with ESPN. ESPN values its connection with McAfee, who attracts a younger audience, according to ESPN's internal data. He and Stephen A. Smith are the network's most talked-about personalities. McAfee's association with ESPN is part of its strategy as it dives into the full direct-to-consumer game beginning this fall. ESPN will make its service available without a cable or any other type of bundled subscription. (Fans with cable or a similar subscription will see no change to their ESPN access.) In ESPN's first 30-second promotion for the new venture, McAfee joined Smith, Scott Van Pelt, Malika Andrews and Dick Vitale as the only current on-air personalities shown. As part of the fall launch of the direct-to-consumer service, a campaign that ESPN has marketed as 'Sports Forever,' ESPN has been trying to add more content to the enhanced ESPN app to make it a go-to for existing and future customers. It failed in luring Colin Cowherd from Fox Sports but succeeded with former ESPN personality Rich Eisen, taking his daily show from Roku. Both Cowherd's and Eisen's talk shows happen to be on at the same time as McAfee's noon-3 p.m. ET program. They would not have replaced McAfee from noon-2 p.m on ESPN's main channel, but they will be available via streaming, like McAfee's show. 'We will have responses, as well,' McAfee said on the air after the Eisen news was public. McAfee did not offer up any specifics. Adding to the time-slot counter-programming, Smith will have his own SiriusXM program from 1-3 p.m. ET that will be in direct competition with McAfee. ESPN has plenty of on-air contributors to go around, but there may be more scoreboard-keeping from McAfee, as there was with Schefter in March. Advertisement McAfee clearly values the guests he has — and part of his personality seems to crave the WWE-type conflict. He writes the script and, like the best dramas, it is always hard to know where it is going to go. We will offer a prediction of sorts: McAfee will likely look to do more live events. In April, he performed in front of a reported crowd of more than 12,500 fans in an arena in Pittsburgh, where he grew up. His guests included big names, like singer Jelly Roll, comedian Shane Gillis and wrestler Jey Uso, among others. Maybe McAfee sets his sights on New Year's Eve and tries to create his own franchise, like a modern day Dick Clark or a counter to Ryan Seacrest and Anderson Cooper as the ball drops. McAfee could use his WWE instincts to find new rivals. He likes to be the one counter-programming.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
How Tigers' fallen star, late-blooming No. 1 picks got Detroit roaring atop AL
How Tigers' fallen star, late-blooming No. 1 picks got Detroit roaring atop AL Show Caption Hide Caption Watch baseball player's emotional reaction to surprise MLB promotion During a minor league baseball game in Tacoma, Washington, Cole Young was pulled aside and informed he'd been called up to play in the big leagues. BALTIMORE – They have been machinelike for nearly 120 games, spanning two seasons, and now sport the best record in the American League. Yet peel back a layer from the Detroit Tigers, and the players responsible for that excellence aren't far removed from the pitfalls of the sport. Perhaps it was the extra baggage No. 1 overall picks carry, a weight Spencer Torkelson admits delayed his eventual rise to feared slugger. Or the isolation one can feel as a flailing superstar with a $140 million contract on a struggling team, like Javy Baez endured for most of three seasons. Not even the greatest Tiger of all, peerless left-hander Tarik Skubal, is immune, undergoing Tommy John surgery at his no-name college, climbing to the big leagues only to suffer a flexor tendon injury that wiped out nearly a full season of his prime. Yet look at them now. The Tigers are 44-25, a start so dominant that the last Detroit club to break so strongly reached the 2006 World Series. They are a curious mix of largely twentysomething talent, versatile and fungible youngsters and the occasional veteran like World Series champion Báez – all willing to play anywhere or bat in whatever position, so long as everything they have is for the team. 'All things that it takes to have a lot of sustained success is definitely shining,' Torkelson, their first baseman possibly headed to his first All-Star Game, tells USA TODAY Sports, 'and having guys that have been at the bottom, been at the top, like Javy, it's such a cool perspective. 'That's baseball. That's sports. It's not going to be amazing every single day, every single year. You're going to battle through it. 'For me, that's what's so rewarding about it. You've seen the worst and when you do have success, it makes it that much sweeter.' The franchise itself can relate. A 114-loss 2019 was the nadir during seven consecutive losing seasons, a stretch of futility that netted it the top overall pick in two drafts. It wasn't until this spring that those two No. 1 overall picks, Torkelson and right-hander Casey Mize, found concurrent success. 'This is definitely a game of failure,' says Riley Greene, the Tigers' All-Star outfielder. 'They worked on the things they needed to work on and they're crushing now. Some people don't get it right away and others do; but that's the ups and downs of baseball. 'They had stuff to work on, and they took it and ran with it. And now look at 'em.' 'I wanted to make everyone happy' For Torkelson, the unkindest cut of all came when he least expected it. After spending all of 2023 in Detroit, the Tigers shipped him to Class AAA Toledo on June 3, 2024. He was toting a .201/.266/.330 slash line, with just four homers and 56 strikeouts in 230 plate appearances. It would have been humbling for any player who fancied himself a big league regular. But carrying that first overall pick designation – a tag no one ever forgets – only added to the weight. So Torkelson, still just 25 even as he's five years removed from the Tigers taking him No. 1 out of Arizona State, learned to leave all that behind. 'A lot of it was eliminating expectations. As a people pleaser, I wanted to make everyone happy,' says Torkelson. 'As a No. 1 pick, you want to live up to what everyone's writing about you rather than take a step back and be like, 'Wait, what got me selected No. 1?' My God-given ability and work ethic got me selected. So why not trust that – which is a lot easier said than done. 'Really going back to the basics and doing it not for anyone else but my own pleasure.' The mindset paid off. Torkelson earned an August recall to Detroit and produced a .781 OPS over the final two months, compared to .597 before his demotion. He's continued the trend this season, his 16 home runs tops among AL first basemen. He also leads the majors with 10 two-strike home runs, possibly a testament to his adjusted mindset. 'Baseball or golf, it's like, staying out of your own way is probably the biggest key to success for guys,' says Torkelson. 'The goal is to stay as present as possible. As a baseball player, your mind is always looking forward. You get a hit, now you're 3 for 4. You get another home run, now you've got 17. Your mind is always trying to look into the future, which it is supposed to do. 'But that's not how you maintain in a sport. It's taking a step back and seeing how you attack this pitch. Sometimes you catch yourself and you get yourself back to present.' Says manager A.J. Hinch: 'The way he bounces back from tough at-bats – he's pretty resilient.' A star embraces versatility Torkelson's recall, combined with a trade-deadline makeover and Hinch unleashing the Tigers' 'pitching chaos' plan awakened a franchise. The Tigers finished 33-16, snagged a wild-card spot and upset the Houston Astros in the wild-card round before losing a wild five-game AL Division Series to Cleveland. And Báez wasn't around for almost all of it. He and the Tigers decided he'd undergo season-ending hip surgery after an August series at Wrigley Field, sight of Báez's greatest triumphs as a member of the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs. With the Tigers, he'd been more a liability, producing a .221 OBP and 71 adjusted OPS in his first three seasons. Repairing his hip might have been the unkindest cut at the time, but now he and the Tigers are reaping the rewards. Báez returned healthy and with a new identity – the do-anything super utilityman. Báez hadn't played center field since winter ball in 2015 until Hinch tossed him out there as a late-game defensive replacement. He ended up playing 23 consecutive games in center, robbing home runs, chasing balls into the gap and, in that span, slugging six home runs with an .898 OPS. With center fielder Parker Meadows' return, Báez is more often back at his natural shortstop. Either way, he has been remarkably valuable, producing four outs above average and 1.3 WAR, putting him on pace for his finest season as a Tiger. 'A guy like Javy, who's been the center part of a lot of teams he's been on, can just be one of the guys,' Hinch says of Báez, who made two All-Star teams and won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger as a Cub. 'He doesn't have to carry us; we have a true team and a lot of guys who can do it. But when he adds something to the mix, we usually win. 'He's a big part of what we're doing and I think he's one of the best, versatile players in the league.' Báez's production fused with the young core was the outcome he envisioned when he signed with the Tigers, the last major transaction of former GM Al Avila's tenure. 'Everything is getting better as a team, as an organization. The only difference for me is being healthy,' says Báez, whose deal runs through 2027. 'I'm playing better for myself and playing better for the team. 'That was one of the reasons I came here: I saw the other prospects coming here and would make a good team in the future. The future is now – we're doing it right now.' Báez might have been envisioned as a franchise hub, but he's probably serving as a better avatar for the young players in his current role – versatile, willing to trot out to any position, starter or reserve, always ready. 'He's unbelievable. He's one of the best athletes, baseball players, that I've got to see live,' says Torkelson. 'You stick him in center field, he'd probably win a Gold Glove out there. He's such a great athlete and special to see every day. 'He's willing to do whatever. And he's so comfortable in whatever situation he's in – he's never sped up. He's always cool, calm and collected, something we aspire to do every game.' 'A complete team' As the season unfolds, the Tigers will have to accept their new lot in life – that of division favorites. They hold a seven-game lead in the AL Central, and with the rampant inconsistency in the AL West, would be a fair bet to earn a first-round bye should they hold onto the division. Promising right-hander Jackson Jobe has been lost to Tommy John surgery, a big blow for his development, yet one the Tigers can weather given their depth with Skubal, Jack Flaherty and Mize out front of the rotation. Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, already weathered that storm undergoing Tommy John and also back surgery, a double whammy that wiped out his 2023 season. 'We have Tarik leading us at the top. He's the best pitcher in the league,' says Mize, who has a 2.95 ERA in 11 starts. 'And we have some depth we really like and bullpen guys we really like. 'A complete team.' One that's on the verge of what could be an unforgettable summer, the promise of greatness tempered by the humility that helped them reach this threshold. 'What got us to this point is taking it day by day, being there for each other and enjoying the ride,' says Torkelson. 'It's not going to be perfect. But it's going to be a lot of fun.'
