Kerry Carpenter homers in ALDS Game 1

SEATTLE — Kerry Carpenter loves hitting at T-Mobile Park. He also loves hitting against George Kirby.

Put the two together on the postseason stage, and Carpenter relished the chance to play postseason hero on Saturday night, delivering a two-run homer for the Tigers†first runs of their 3-2 victory in 11 innings in Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the Mariners.

Carpenter entered the day 4-for-8 for his career against Kirby, all of the hits home runs — two in 2023, two more in 2024. They didnâ€t meet this regular season due to injuries. Kirby was out when the Tigers visited Seattle in early April, then Carpenter was on the injured list when Kirby pitched at Comerica Park in July.

Kirby struck out Carpenter on a 99.5 mph sinker in the opening inning Saturday. Carpenter hit a solid line drive in the third inning, but directly to center fielder Julio Rodríguez.

Kirby was poised to win the battle again with two outs and a runner in scoring position in the fifth inning, putting Carpenter in an 0-2 hole. But after Kirby couldnâ€t get Carpenter to chase a sinker out of the zone, he threw another — his third in a row — right at the top of the zone.

Carpenter crushed it, sending a Statcast-projected 409-foot drive to the right-field seats for a 2-1 Detroit lead. At 3.88 feet above the ground, it was the highest pitch Carpenter has hit for a home run in his Major League career.

“I do have a lot of respect for him because heâ€s pretty nasty,” Carpenter said of Kirby on the FOX postgame show. “Heâ€s an All-Star. Heâ€s really good. Something about it, even some guys that are really nasty. I just felt like I was seeing it off the fingertips really well and waiting on even his fastballs.”

Carpenter is 5-for-11 for his career off Kirby and has yet to have a hit land in play against him. According to MLB.com researcher Sarah Langs, he is the only active Major League hitter to have at least five career hits against a pitcher, all of them homers.

The home run was also his fourth in seven career games at T-Mobile Park, tied for his highest total anywhere besides Comerica Park.

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