Long gone! Top 10 Tigers homers of the decade
Comerica Park used to be a place where home-run hitters went into obscurity. Remember Juan Gonzalez? How about Gary Sheffield¡¯s brief Tigers tenure? This was the decade that tempered that reputation a bit.
Miguel Cabrera won a Triple Crown on his way to consecutive 44-homer seasons. J.D. Martinez and Prince Fielder enjoyed 38-homer seasons in Detroit. Even Brennan Boesch had his moment. Here are the biggest Tigers home runs of the decade:
1. Cabrera hits one out of CoPa
June 20, 2016
Until Miguel Cabrera connected with this Nate Karns pitch, the only Tiger to hit a home run out of Comerica Park was Carlos Pena back in 2005. Cabrera¡¯s drive to left-center cleared the mighty brick wall, bounced off the concourse near Al Kaline¡¯s statue and ended up on Adams Avenue.
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2. J.D. just delivers
Aug. 3, 2016
Considering J.D. Martinez was released by the Astros in Spring Training before the Tigers signed him to a Minor League contract, his entire emergence as one of the game¡¯s most formidable hitters was a surprise. Even after that, few expected him to step off the bench after missing nearly two months to injury and hit a go-ahead home run off Chris Sale at Comerica Park.
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3. Exit off Sandman
Aug. 9, 2013
Miggy was hitless in his career against Mariano Rivera, and he was hobbling when he stepped to the plate against The Sandman with two outs in the ninth at Yankee Stadium. Cabrera battled out of an 0-2 hole, fouling off two nasty pitches, before hitting a drive to straightaway center field for the game-tying home run. Watch here >
4. Miles for the cameras
July 21, 2015
Once upon a time, simply hitting a ball into the center-field shrubs was a feat of strength at Comerica Park. This decade changed that, none more than J.D. Martinez's 466-foot drive off Taijuan Walker hit the top of the camera well above center field.
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5. Rajai hits walk-off grand slam
June 30, 2014
Two years before Rajai Davis slugged a place for himself in World Series history with a big home run off a lefty, he hit another historic homer to end a game. His ninth-inning drive off Oakland¡¯s Sean Doolittle was a walk-off grand slam, just the 28th ¡°ultimate grand slam¡± in Major League history.
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6. Chef's kiss
June 2, 2012
Cabrera didn¡¯t find the concourse or the camera well with this drive to center field off then-Yankee Cory Wade, but the 466-foot poke to the second row of shrubs was considered the longest home run in Comerica Park history at the time. He hit another go-ahead homer later in that game. Watch here >
7. Donnie Kelly Baby
Oct. 6, 2011
When baseball fans outside Detroit ask why Don Kelly is a hero in the Motor City, this is one of the reasons. The Tigers had the pressure of a Game 5 on the road in the AL Division Series until Kelly silenced the Yankee Stadium crowd with a first-inning drive to right.
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8. Miggy completes the comeback
Sept. 3, 2011
The Tigers were in a three-way race for the American League Central heading into Labor Day weekend in 2011, when they welcomed the White Sox for a critical series. The middle game proved the biggest, as Detroit erased an 8-1 deficit before Cabrera hit this walk-off homer off Sergio Santos to extend the Tigers¡¯ division lead to 7 1/2 games.
9. Boesch bash
April 30, 2010
Make no mistake, Cabrera and J.D. Martinez were the star sluggers of the Tigers¡¯ decade. But for one summer, Brennan Boesch captivated fans in Detroit with an amazing stretch of hitting for a rookie. His first Major League home run was a grand slam off Joel Pineiro, sending the Tigers to a 10-6 win over the Angels.
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T-10. Inge hits walk-off off Glen Perkins
Sept. 10, 2011
Brandon Inge seemed to have a knack for clutch home runs in his Tigers tenure. This was one of the biggest, a walk-off homer with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning off Twins closer Glen Perkins. Watch here >
T-10. Guillen homers off Weaver
July 31, 2011
Maybe the home run wasn¡¯t as big as the emotions that ensued, but Carlos Guillen¡¯s home run off Jered Weaver -- and the celebration that followed -- will always have a place in Tigers history, part of an incredible game that led to Weaver¡¯s ejection and had a Justin Verlander no-hit bid as a subplot. Guillen¡¯s celebration was a reaction to Weaver jawing with Magglio Ordonez about an earlier home run. Watch here >