Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson hit his 16th home run of the season on Tuesday night on the road against the Baltimore Orioles. It was a towering shot to dead center field, and it traveled roughly 420 feet. Last season, Torkelson finished the season with just 10 home runs and 37 RBIs in 92 games. He already has 16 homers and 47 RBIs in 65 games this year. This power surge has been huge for the Tigers, and it was needed after a sluggish 2024 campaign.

Spencer Torkelson's 2024 season was a major concern, but he has turned things around this year. His batting average isn't anything crazy as he is hitting .237, but his .849 OPS shows how much he has improved from last year.

“I think it’s just part of his game plan to just stay on the ball,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said after Tuesday's win against the Orioles, according to an article from MLB.com. “I think it’s the way he bounces back from tough at-bats. He had a couple tough ones to start the game, but he’s pretty resilient. He has a game plan going up there, and when he gets a good pitch to hit, he’s doing a lot of damage.”

Torkelson tries to stick with the same approach as much as he can during an at-bat. A lot of guys change it up often, but it seems like the consistency is something that has helped Torkelson this season.

“My 0-0 approach, my 1-0, my 2-0, I’m not trying to do too much,” he said. “So it’s basically a two-strike approach. Nothing really changes unless I’m not seeing a guy well.”

Tuesday's home run was a big one as it put the Tigers up 5-1 in fifth inning. The Orioles clawed back in it to make it 5-3 in the ninth, but that two-run shot from Torkelson ended up being the difference.

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“All wins are great, no matter how pretty they are, or not pretty,” Torkelson said. “But today was a pretty win.”

The Tigers scored three runs in that fifth inning, and they all came with two outs. It looked like it was going to be an easy frame for Baltimore, but Detroit doesn't quit.

“We have a pretty resilient group,” AJ Hinch said. “We did put some good swings together and good innings together, maybe when you least expect it. You have to stay in the inning and come up with some big swings. To separate ourselves and get some key two-out hits and two-strike hits, that’s winning baseball.”

With the win, Spencer Torkelson and the Tigers improved to 44-24 on the season, which is good for the best record in baseball. The two teams will be back at it on Wednesday night for Game 2 as the Tigers and Orioles will get underway at 6:35 ET from Camden Yards in Baltimore.