Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter recorded his fourth home run of the season in the 5-0 victory over the New York Yankees at Comerica Park on Tuesday afternoon. The Tigers have thereby claimed the three-game home series against the Yankees by winning the first two encounters.
Carpenter celebrated the shot by raising his right arm with the thumb, index finger, and pinky sticking out to someone behind the home dugout as he rounded first base on his home trot. Later, on social media, the left-handed slugger revealed that the target of his celebratory gesture was his wife, Lauren Burke, who was in attendance.
Carpenter shared an image of the moment on Instagram, confirming that the hand gesture was directed toward her. His solo home run marked the Tigers' fourth of the game against the Yankees.
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On Tuesday, the Detroit Tigers hosted the New York Yankees for the second game of the series after defeating them 6-2 the previous afternoon. Reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal was on the mound for the home team, and he delivered a solid outing for the team. The veteran Carlos Carrasco was his counterpart for the visitors, but he had allowed four runs in the first four frames.
Left-handed reliever Ryan Yarbrough replaced the starting pitcher when the latter had exited the game after getting the first out in the bottom of the fifth inning. Kerry Carpenter was the first batter he faced, and the outfielder had failed to get on base in his previous two at-bats on the day.
Yarbrough had raced away to a 2-0 lead in the count when he delivered a low 70 mph sweeper on the outside corner of the strike zone for the left-handed hitter. Carpenter bent down with his knee touching the ground to reach at the pitch and applied a smooth swing to lift the ball over the right field fence.
Impressive start to the 2025 campaign for Kerry Carpenter
Kerry Carpenter is off to a solid start in 2025 as he continued his momentum after recording his fourth home run of the year on Tuesday, just 11 games into the season. Carpenter presently leads the Detroit Tigers lineup in homers and RBIs, so he could have an excellent campaign this year if he manages to stay healthy.
Carpenter enjoyed his best season in 2024, even though he had missed nearly half of the campaign due to lumbar spine inflammation. He posted 2.2 bWAR from 87 games with a .284/.345/.587 slash line with 18 home runs, 57 RBIs, and an OPS+ of 159.
