On a night Riley Greene will never forget, he delivered one of the most memorable swings of the season on Tuesday in Sacramento. With the Detroit Tigers trailing the Oakland Athletics by three runs in the third inning, Greene launched a towering 471-foot grand slam to straightaway center field. It was the first of his career and instantly flipped the momentum in Detroit’s eventual comeback. The blast also went into the books as the longest home run by a Tigers player in the Statcast era.
This was the longest home run by any Tiger in the Statcast Era (2015-present). https://t.co/eQNXYNd1VS
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) August 27, 2025
Greene’s grand slam did far more than clear the bases. The shot tied him with Giancarlo Stanton’s 471-foot grand slam in 2021 as the second-longest ever tracked, just behind Kyle Schwarber’s 473-foot blast in 2019. It also eclipsed Detroit’s previous Statcast marks set by J.D. Martinez and Jeimer Candelario, who each connected for 467-foot homers. For the two-time All-Star, who had never hit a grand slam, the swing underscored his power while giving the Tigers the lead at Sutter Health Park.
For Greene, the moment was another milestone in a season packed with personal accomplishments. Now with 32 home runs and 99 RBIs, the 24-year-old sits just one shy of his first 100-RBI campaign. His slam added to an offensive line that also features 26 doubles and a .519 slugging percentage across 130 games. His longest career home run before Tuesday was a 453-footer in 2023, but this shot easily surpassed it, cementing his role as the centerpiece of Detroit’s lineup.
The Tigers’ offense had been waiting for a swing like this. Before Greene’s shot, Detroit had managed just one grand slam all season — courtesy of Javier Báez against the Astros back in April. At the same time, Oakland had stung Detroit the night before when Shea Langeliers launched a go-ahead slam off Tarik Skubal. On Tuesday, Greene flipped the script, fueling the Tigers’ comeback against the A’s and showing his knack for delivering in crucial moments.
By the time Greene crossed the plate, his teammates were waiting at home for a group embrace in recognition of the blast’s magnitude. Though the A’s quickly answered with two runs in the bottom of the third, the story had already been written. Greene’s powerful swing will be remembered as a historic entry in the Statcast-era home run records.
