Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishDetroit Tigers’ 2025 Opening Day lineup introductions at Comerica ParkWATCH: Detroit Tigers’ 2025 Opening Day lineup introductions at Comerica Park in Detroit on Friday, April 4, 2025.The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 7-4, on Friday afternoon.Kerry Carpenter and Riley Greene, both left-handers, went a combined 5-for-10 with three home runs.Greene is now hitting .344 (11-of-32) in seven games with a team-leading three home runs.Spencer Torkelson had one of the best views of anyone in Comerica Park during the Detroit Tigers’ home opener against the Chicago White Sox.Batting out of the No. 4 hole, Torkelson stood at the top of the dugout steps as Kerry Carpenter clubbed two home runs — one pulled into the right-field foul pole and then another the opposite way into the Tigers’ bullpen in left. Later on, he was even closer when Riley Greene smoked a no-doubt home run halfway up the seats in right field.”I got a really good seat, front row,” Torkelson said.SHAWN WINDSOR: Comeback stories? No city loves em’ more than Detroit. Spencer Torkelson is learning thatThe Tigers (3-4) hit three solo home runs to support starting pitcher Jack Flaherty in the 7-4 win over the Chicago White Sox. All of the long-distance damage came from the two lefties perched atop the batting order, Carpenter and Greene.The bottom of the lineup also produced runs thanks to RBI hits from Dillon Dingler, Zach McKinstry and Trey Sweeney. But Carpenter got the scoring started, added some insurance in what appeared to be an unfavorable matchup for him and Greene put the finishing touches on a dominant win with one of the hardest hit balls of his career.Carpenter drove out his first home run of the season on a first-pitch sweeper from starter Jonathan Cannon in the first inning. The line drive traveled down the right-field line and just nicked the foul pole to keep the 345-foot shot fair.[ NEW TIGERS NEWSLETTER! Sign up for The Purr-fect Game, a weekly dose of Tigers news, numbers and analysis for Freep subscribers, here. ] “He kind of just laid a little sweeper in there,” Carpenter said. “I wanted to be ready for anything because he throws a lot of strikes. They pound the zone and I ended up getting that one.”Two pitches later, Greene shot an outside sinker back up the middle for a single. It was the start of a three-hit performance for Greene, who led the team at the plate while also manning center field.CARLOS MONARREZ: Detroit Tigers get pop in home opener, but Javier Báez, Kenta Maeda, luxury seats need fixesThe White Sox pulled Cannon with two outs in the fourth inning, bringing in left-handed reliever Brandon Eisert to face Carpenter and Greene the third time through the lineup.Carpenter hit .107 with one home run and a .408 OPS against lefties in 2024, but the decision backfired on rookie Chicago manager Will Venable.Carpenter waited on a second-pitch slider to travel through the zone and then clobbered it to left field for an opposite-field solo home run off the lefty. Carpenter hit the offspeed pitch 359 feet into the 8 mph wind blowing in from left field to clear the wall.”We want him to take his three swings because good things can happen and he can impact the game right away,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “The fly ball, I think, nicked the pole down the right-field line and then he goes oppo into the wind. He’s a fun player, isn’t he?”Buy our book: The Epic History of the Tigers!Carpenter, who has been pinch-hit for against left-handed relievers throughout his Tigers tenure, said the successful swings against southpaws only help build his confidence in those situations. Hinch added it was a perfect situation, facing a reliever early in the game with nobody on and two outs.”Two outs, nobody on is not going to get Kerry Carpenter out,” Hinch said. “So if other managers are watching, that’s not the spot to chase him out of the game. … Carp is doing a really good job hanging in there when he gets his opportunities and I know it makes everyone out there thirsty for more.”Greene also had no issue with the left-on-left matchup with Eisert. He pushed an inside sinker the other way on the next pitch for a double, eventually coming around to score on a Torkelson RBI single.The next time up, Greene elevated those line drives on another hard hit to provide a souvenir for a fan in the right-field stands. Greene turned on an inside cutter from Bryse Wilson and hit a 417-foot home run with a 114.3 mph exit velocity, making it 7-1 Tigers. It was Greene’s third home run this season, but his first to the pull side.”It feels good,” Greene said. “You don’t always have to hit the ball 1,000 feet, but sometimes when you do it, it feels good.”Greene is now hitting .344 (11-for-32) in seven games, with a team-leading three home runs.”I mean, he’s amazing,” Hinch said. “… He’s as dangerous as anybody. We’re seeing it. He’s maturing with his approach and he’s growing and learning. He can get better. This isn’t necessarily the best version in my opinion, and that’s scary for the other side.”The power on display from the left side of the plate showcased the potential at the top of the Tigers’ lineup and the difficult decisions it places on opposing teams when Carpenter and Greene are on.”It kind of puts the pitcher in a tough predicament,” Greene said. “Does he want to face me, or does he want to face Kerry? Or does he want to face Tork behind me? It’s kind of tough.”Jared Ramsey covers sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
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