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The Tigers are red hot, having won five of their last six games. Detroit got the broom out of the closet for the first time this season with a sweep at home against the White Sox. However, they are about to collide with the defending American League Champion New York Yankees.

The Tigers were one game away in the 2024 postseason from booking a date with the Bronx Bombers in the ALCS, but fell short to Cleveland. Although they didn’t get that match-up in October, the two teams meet early in the season and both are first place in their divisions.

New York rolls into the Motor City with a 6-3 record, just a half game ahead of the Boston Red Sox. Detroit, 5-4, is a full game ahead of the Kansas City Royals and is the only team in the division to have a winning record.

It may be early, but this is a huge series for the Detroit Tigers. Both teams are talented, but New York is much better on paper. This series against the Yankees could be a prelude to a match-up this postseason. It will be interesting to see how the Tigers stack up against a team that is deep with proven big league talent.

Tigers hitters vs. Carlos Rondon:

For the second day in a row, the Detroit Tigers will face a southpaw. They didn’t get the production they had hoped for throughout yesterday’s game, but they successfully rallied late. The reason for struggling throughout most of the game may be due to the fact that Detroit is better equipped to face right-handed pitching.

Carlos Rondon is the lefty on the mound for New York in game one, and of the 13 hitters on Detroit’s roster, 11 of them have faced off against him.

Colt Keith: two at-bats, .1.000 batting average, one RBI, 2.000 OPS.

Riley Greene: six at-bats, .667 batting average, 1.500 OPS.

Kerry Carpenter: two at-bats, .500 batting average, 1.000 OPS.

Justyn-Henry Malloy: two at-bats, .500 batting average, .1.500 OPS.

Manuel Margot: eight at-bats .375 batting average, one RBI, 1.000 OPS.

Andy Ibàñez: three at-bats, .333 batting average, three RBIs, .917 OPS.

Zach McKinstry: three at-bats, .333 batting average, one RBI, .666 OPS.

Spencer Torkelson: Seven at-bats, .286 batting average, one home run, two RBIs, 1.143 OPS.

Jake Rogers: four at-bats, .250 batting average, .500 OPS.

Javier Bàez: 15 at-bats, .133 batting average,. 266 OPS.

Dillon Dingler: two at-bats, .000 batting average, .000 OPS.

Trey Sweeney and Ryan Kriedler have yet to face Rondon.

Player to Watch: Spencer Torkelson

How could the player to watch not be Spencer Torkelson? The former first overall pick hit 31 home runs in 2023, then fell off a cliff in 2024. His inconsistencies made it difficult for some fans to believe he could make a comeback this season, but his adjustments in the off-season have so far paid off. Tork is batting. 324 with a pair of home runs to start the 2025 campaign.

He has faced Rondon seven times in his career and is the only hitter on the Tigers roster to hit a home run against the Yankees’ lefty.

Yankees hitters vs. Casey Mize:

A brilliant spring training effort backed up by a scoreless outing in his first start of the season has the Casey Mize (another former first overall pick by the Tigers) hype train moving full steam ahead. He gets his second start of the season in the series opener against New York.

Aaron Judge: five at-bats, .800 batting average, one RBI, 2.000 OPS.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.: two at-bats, .500 batting average, 1.167 OPS.

Osawaldo Cabrera, Paul Goldschmidt, and Anthony Volpe are the only other Yankees who have faced Mize. They each have two plate appearances against the Tigers’ right-hander. None of them have gotten a hit off of him.

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