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New York Times
17 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Tigers' Riley Greene keeps slugging even as he approaches strikeout record
DETROIT — Friday afternoon, Riley Greene stepped into the left-handed batter's box when there were only a handful of people on the field at Comerica Park field. Tigers hitting coach Keith Beauregard fed balls into a pitching machine. Greene laced a few balls to right field, then center. In his next round, he worked the opposite field gap. Advertisement He stood off to the side with Michael Brdar, another one of Detroit's three hitting coaches, talking about his swing. Greene mimicked his load and the initial movement of his top hand. He went through his finish and his follow-through. Tigers legend Alan Trammell stood behind the cage, too. The back of his shirt bore one of the team's mantras. Everything matters. Greene is rarely one to hit on the field. After he took batting practice before the All-Star Game, he said, 'I haven't hit on the field in two years.' Greene often prefers the confines of the Tigers' underground cage, where music blares and hitters can go through their routines in privacy. Here amid another brutal slump, though, Greene was changing things up. He wanted to see the ball jump off his bat and land in the Comerica Park grass. Mired in the dog days, he wanted to have some fun with teammates Spencer Torkelson and Dillon Dingler. 'It's good to know I can still hit baseballs,' Greene said at his locker afterward. Greene has always been a streaky hitter, but his most recent cold spell has been arguably his worst. From the second game of a July 2 doubleheader to Friday's series opener against the Angels, Greene was hitting .173. He belted five home runs in that span, but he also struck out 47 times in 115 plate appearances. He is MLB's leader in strikeouts, and if he continues punching out at anything close to this recent rate, he could threaten to set an MLB record. Mark Reynolds holds the mark for single-season strikeouts by a hitter at 223. Greene has punched out 156 times through 119 games this season. If he continues on that pace, Greene would finish the year with 212 strikeouts, tied for the ninth-worst mark ever. Friday afternoon in Detroit, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch did not try to downplay the struggles. He seemed to support the slight change to Greene's routine. 'We've all seen the last month,' Hinch said. 'When you keep trying to do the same thing over and over again, it's the definition of insanity.' At times this year, Greene has played like precisely the hitter he was drafted to be, an aircraft carrier who has achieved the top level of his power potential. Greene has launched 27 home runs, tied for fourth in the American League. He was an All-Star starter who also has the steepest swing in the game, entering the weekend at an average path tilt of 45 degrees. Advertisement Greene is swinging more aggressively than ever this season. The home runs have been a reward. The strikeouts have been the obvious, unintended cost. 'No,' Greene said when asked if he expected an uptick in strikeouts entering the year. 'I think that it comes with it, and I like hitting homers, and sometimes I get excited and I swing at balls in the dirt that aren't even close. It is what it is. It happens. It's the game. Just try to shorten that and not chase as much and get better pitches to hit.' (Baseball Savant) There's a temptation to view Greene through one of two lenses: a frustrating player who strikes out far too much or a dynamic difference maker worthy of a massive contract extension. The reality, as it often does, lies somewhere in between. Greene is a uniquely talented hitter. He is one of Detroit's best homegrown position players in eons. He is 24 years old and is capable of becoming one of the best players in the American League. Yet there are still flaws he is working to overcome. On 13 occasions this year, Greene has struck out three times in a game. Twice, he has achieved the notorious Golden Sombrero — four strikeouts in a single game. 'I feel like I'm not seeing the ball,' Greene said Friday. 'I'm not focusing on the ball. Focusing on different things. Thinking about different things. Got to simplify and stick to my strengths and not go to other people's strengths. Stick to mine. Hunt my zones. Do some damage.' We have seen Greene endure these sorts of droughts. He has often come out of them with incredible stretches of strong performances. Take this weekend as evidence. Greene had two hits Friday night against the Angels. On Sunday, he hit three balls that left the bat at 100 mph or greater, including a line-drive home run. Advertisement 'I say this over and over when people ask me: Do they need encouragement? Do they need a pat on the back? Do they need a kick in the ass?' Hinch said. 'They need hits. That's the best remedy for guys to feel better about themselves.' As Greene searches for more hits, he is trying different things. He shaved down to a goofy mustache, then regrew his beard. He hit on the field. He is working to cover both the high fastballs that he has whiffed on at a concerning rate and lay off the low spin that has caused him to chase at a troublesome clip. 'You can't (cover both),' Greene said. 'You got to pick one and you got to stick to one and whatever happens, happens. They're not always going to throw a fastball up for a strike and then throw a curveball down for a strike. They're not gonna do it. No one can do that every single time.' Greene's troubles have mirrored those of a Tigers team that entered Sunday with MLB's worst walk rate since the All-Star break. As the Tigers look to keep what could be a special season afloat, Greene should play a key role in determining whether the Tigers can recapture their magic or continue a downward slide. 'We are a different offense when he's a part of it,' Hinch said. '(But) he doesn't have to carry this offense. We need to do a lot of things better as a collective group.' Friday against the Angels, Hinch dropped Greene to sixth in the batting order, the lowest he has hit in a start since he batted sixth in his MLB debut. Saturday, Greene did not start against a left-handed pitcher. Sunday, though, Greene was back in the cleanup spot. He notched two hits and drove in three runs. He looked like a middle-of-the-order force, and the Tigers earned a series victory. 'It sucks to struggle,' Greene said Friday. 'It is what it is. It's only a matter of one pitch and one swing, and then the floodgates open.' Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
02-06-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Tigers' Riley Greene has become the hitter he was drafted to be. Can his growth continue?
DETROIT — From Riley Greene's earliest days in the organization, he developed a saying with Detroit Tigers legend Alan Trammell. It started at minor-league parks and the instructional league. It's persisted to this day. Greene would walk into the building. Trammell would see him and smile. 'You showed up,' Trammell might say. 'You show up, you got a chance.' Advertisement There are different road maps to success. All of them involve forward momentum. You can arrive at the park and hope to crush a six-run homer. You can try to swing away all the bad days with one violent bat-to-ball connection. Or you can simply keep showing up, paying the daily price this game demands. More than the momentous home runs, the energetic walk-offs and the champagne celebrations, Major League Baseball is about the survival of the daily grind. Doing one thing well, over and over again. Failing from time to time but punching the clock again anyway. That's been the real recipe behind Riley Greene's success, the fuel behind his development from top prospect to All-Star outfielder. This game demands patience. Rewards those who can handle the struggle. 4️⃣2️⃣9️⃣ Longest HR of the season for Riley Greene 💣 — Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 31, 2025 'Experience is everything in this game,' Greene said at his locker last week. 'I don't have that much experience, but from what I do have, I've learned so much. I know what it takes.' Talk all you want about attack angles and groundball rates. Those have been central in Greene's ascendence. He has the steepest swing in the game. He's cut his groundball rate by more than 10 percentage points since his rookie season. He's also a player who thrives in the rhythms of the game, who enjoys showing up at the park, who watches every pitch from the wooden perch alongside his hitting coaches, slapping the dugout padding and cheering along with his childlike energy. Greene's personality in front of the cameras is more subdued. In a short time, he has mastered the cliches needed to endure any interview. Off the field, he's stayed true to himself. He will sit at his locker and talk about boats, fishing and country music. Advertisement 'He's never a guy that's gonna stray too far from his roots, as he shows me picture after picture of these fishes that he catches over the winter,' manager A.J. Hinch joked this spring. 'He's as authentic as they come.' None of that means Greene hasn't endured periods of doubt. He felt that in the minor leagues, where he slept with his bat during one slump. He felt it in his rookie year, nights when he would go home and wonder if he would ever hit again. Teammates who knew Greene and his talent simply laughed. 'He thinks he's terrible after one rough night,' infielder Ryan Kreidler once said. Greene felt it even this season, switching his walk-up song from Morgan Wallen to Rihanna, and finally back to Wallen, as he emerged from his latest slump. Part of his steady improvements in the major leagues have been a result of routine. More detailed game planning. More patience at the plate. 'I think what he's learning is that more is not always better,' Hinch said. 'But the right type of preparation is leading him to better results in the game consistently. I think the other thing, him growing up in this era of baseball, he gets a lot more feedback than most. He gets a lot of attention from fans, gets a lot of attention from the media, gets a lot of attention from opponents. He burst onto the national stage last year at the All-Star Game. He's learning how to compartmentalize all that and just be ready to play every day.' Early in his career, Greene was more prone to fear and fret. He was hitting .224 through his first 55 MLB games. So what would he tell a rookie version of himself? 'That's a good question,' Greene said, leaning back in a gray chair. He cocked his head and mulled over the thought. 'That it's gonna be OK, no matter what happens,' he finally said. 'It's a hard game, and we all go through ups and downs. … It's gonna be OK, and we're gonna figure it out.' This past April, the current version of Greene was not content with his results. He endured a 1-for-32 stretch with 19 strikeouts. His swing decisions were puzzling. He pulled his head and whiffed on hittable pitches — chase and swing-and-miss are still vulnerabilities. After the worst games, the stress was visible in the set of his shoulders. But in the back of his mind, there was a greater trust, a deeper confidence that all this would turn. Advertisement 'I knew I was gonna be fine,' Greene said. 'It was just a matter of time.' Sure enough, a brutal slump morphed into a scorching hot streak. And here in the middle of the order for a first-place team, Greene continues to look like exactly the player he was drafted to be when the Tigers selected him with the fifth pick in 2019. He finished May with 24 RBIs, the most he's ever had in a single month. He had an .894 OPS in 27 games. He now has a 131 wRC+ for the season. He's hit 13 home runs, tied for sixth-most in the American League. He is still only 24 years old. 'When he gets a good pitch to hit, gets a good swing off, it's must-see TV,' Hinch said. These days, the Tigers face another challenge. How do they keep Greene healthy? In his young career, he has already lost time to a fractured foot, a stress reaction in his back and a UCL tear he sustained while diving in the outfield. Last season, Greene grew fatigued in the summer and had a short stint on the injured list with a hamstring strain. This season, Greene's average sprint speed has declined. Advanced metrics show he has lost some burst in the outfield. Part of Greene's maturation has been learning to care for his body. He cut out his beloved Chick-fil-A this winter. He goes through a diligent daily routine to take care of his hamstrings. He monitors his sleep scores and takes supplements to aid his rest and recovery. 'I'm terrible at math, but I try to do the math in my head at night,' Greene said. 'If I go to bed at 11 and wake up at 11, 'OK, we're good.'' Still, there are concerns. Last week, Hinch gave Greene and Zach McKinstry, both left-handed hitters, a day off against a right-handed starter. Greene, in particular, was running on fumes. He played the next day and started at DH the game after that. 'Riley, it always feels like he's right on that edge of dealing with something,' Hinch said. 'We're just trying to be smart with what we're doing and where we're at.' Advertisement So far, Greene has held up in the face of a heavy workload. He has started 49 games in the outfield, including 13 games in center. He has started at DH seven times and made an appearance in all but two of Detroit's 60 games this season. The aches and pains are a part of the story. But despite the lingering concerns about Greene's health, he is a daily presence in this lineup because he is the centerpiece of the team's order. Even when times have been tough, he has kept showing up. Kept trusting the work. Stayed true in this slow-and-steady journey to becoming one of the game's best young hitters.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jasson Domínguez's RBI single
INTERVIEW: Alan Trammell says 2025 Tigers are 'for real, there's no question' INTERVIEW: Alan Trammell believes the 2025 Tigers are "for real, there's no question about it." "We had some lean years, but we're coming," he told Brad Galli at the Detroit Sports Spectacular. Trammell also made it clear: he's still waiting for Lou Whitaker to join him in the Hall of Fame. 2:07 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tigers Make Heartbreaking Announcement on Former All-Star Outfielder
The baseball world joins the Detroit Tigers in mourning All-Star outfielder Chet Lemon, who passed away Thursday at 70 years old. The Tigers confirmed Lemon's death in a statement before their road game against the Colorado Rockies. Lemon spent the final nine years of his career in Detroit, hitting .263 with 142 home runs, a .786 OPS, and 30.7 bWAR from 1982-90. Advertisement Lemon's most notable Tigers season came in 1984, when he hit .287 and earned All-Star honors for the AL East champions. Although he only batted .167 in the postseason, he nonetheless helped Detroit to its fourth and most recent World Series title. 'While he was a World Series Champion and All-Star on the field, perhaps his biggest impact came off of it,' the Tigers said Thursday. 'That includes creating the Chet Lemon Foundation and dedicating much of his post-playing career to youth baseball development.' Per its official website, the Chet Lemon Foundation has 'impactful initiatives supporting stroke, aphasia awareness, and empowering youth in sports.' Advertisement According to the Detroit Free Press, Lemon had suffered at least 13 strokes since retiring. The Free Press reported Lemon had been to the hospital over 300 times and had been diagnosed with polycythemia vera, a rare blood disease. Although the strokes affected Lemon's ability to walk and communicate, he attended last summer's 1984 Tigers reunion at Comerica Park. 'I'm so thankful for the time we spent together last summer,' former Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell said Thursday. 'Today is a sad day for us. He will be dearly missed.' Detroit Tigers players Lance Parrish, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell and Chet LemonMary Schroeder, Detroit Free Press, Detroit Free Press via Imagn Content Services, LLC A 1972 first-round pick of the then-Oakland Athletics, Lemon debuted for the Chicago White Sox three years later. Lemon hit .288 and totaled 24.9 bWAR over seven seasons in Chicago, making the All-Star Game in 1978 and 1979; he and Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Cecil Cooper tied for the American League lead in doubles (44) during the latter season. Advertisement 'Chet was the kindest of men and always had that great smile on his face,' former Tigers catcher Lance Parrish said in a statement. 'He was also a fierce competitor on the baseball field and a great teammate,' Parrish added. 'I loved him like a brother.' Related: Former Red Sox Prospect Tragically Dead at 43 Related: Tributes Pour in After Octavio Dotel Tragically Dies at 51
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Chet Lemon, World Series champion with Tigers, dies at 70
The Detroit Tigers lost one of their beloved stars Thursday when Chet Lemon died at the age of 70. Lemon, an outfielder, won the World Series with the famed 1984 Tigers team. Lemon spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Chicago White Sox, earning back-to-back All-Star nods in 1978 and 1979 and leading the American League with 44 doubles in the latter season. Ahead of the 1982 season, the Sox traded him to the Tigers, and the move looked like an early win for Chicago. Lemon's batting average dipped from .302 to .266. The following season, he hit .255. But he had a resurgence in 1984, raising his average to .287 with a .495 slugging percentage, the second-best of his career. He earned his third and final All-Star nod that season. In the '84 World Series, Lemon hit .294 in five games. He and his teammates were honored at Comerica Park in September to commemorate the 40th anniversary of that title. "While he was a World Series champion and All-Star on the field, perhaps his biggest impact came off of it. That includes creating the Chet Lemon Foundation and dedicating much of his post-playing career to youth baseball development," the Tigers said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with Chet's family, friends and all those he coached, mentored and inspired." "Chet was a cherished teammate and friend," former teammate and Hall of Famer Alan Trammell said in a statement of his own. "I'm so thankful for the time we spent together last summer when the 1984 team had its 40th reunion at Comerica Park. Today is a sad day for us. He will be dearly missed." Lemon also led the league in being hit by pitches four times. A blood disorder in 1990 played a role in Lemon's career being cut short after 16 seasons. A year later, he was in intensive care due to a blood clot. Over the years, he had numerous health issues, including a series of strokes. He had been living in Florida at the time of his death. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
