Recalling Each of the Current Detroit Tigers' First MLB Hits

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Motor City Bengals would like to congratulate Riley Greene of the Detroit Tigers on his first major league hit. It was a single in the first inning of his debut on June 18, 2022. How does that compare to his teammates’ first MLB hits?

Whether it happens right away or takes a little while, it’s always exciting when a rookie gets his first hit as a major leaguer. Now that Riley Greene has added his name to the MLB hit list, let’s recall how each of his current Detroit Tigers teammates (and some 40-man roster teammates on the injured list) got their first hits. These milestone knocks are listed in chronological order, which means that we start with the man that radio color commentator Jim Price often refers to as “The Big Man”.

Miguel Cabrera

The first of the 3,047 hits that Cabrera has collected through June 18, 2022, was one for the ages. In his MLB debut, the 20-year-old left fielder (yes, left fielder) batted eighth (yes, eighth) for the Florida Marlins on June 20, 2003. Tampa Bay Devil Rays righty Rob Bell will always be able to boast that he struck out a future Hall of Famer in his first at-bat. That happened in the third inning. Bell got Miggy again in the fifth. Against relievers Jesus Colome and Travis Harper, Cabrera grounded into an inning-ending double play in the seventh and grounded back to the mound to end the bottom of the ninth.

Luckily for the Marlins, the game was tied 1-1 after nine. Florida loaded the bases in the 10th but failed to push the winning run across. Cabrera got one more shot with two outs in the bottom of the 11th. Alex Gonzalez (who would briefly be Miggy’s teammate again in Detroit in 2014) had doubled ahead of him. Miguelito stepped in against righty Al Levine. He blasted Levine’s first pitch to deep center field. It was long gone. Cabrera’s walk-off home run gave the Marlins a 3-1 win over their in-state rivals.

Michael Pineda

Now that the National League has finally implemented the designated hitter, the hashtag #PitchersWhoRake is a relic of the past. That means that the man known as “Big Mike” will likely finish his big-league career with just one hit. That happened on June 23, 2011. The 22-year-old right-hander was the Seattle Mariners’ starting pitcher against the Washington Nationals. For most of the game, he was engaged in a tight duel with the Nationals’ Jason Marquis. There was no score when Pineda singled off Marquis in the top of the sixth. Pineda made it as far as third base before being stranded. A walk-off hit gave Washington a 1-0 win, but neither Pineda nor Marquis was around at that point.

Wily Peralta

Peralta made a lone appearance for the Milwaukee Brewers in April 2012 and returned later that season as a September call-up. On September 16, the 23-year-old right-handed pitcher made his third big-league start. In the bottom of the seventh against the New York Mets, he lined a double deep to right. It would’ve been an RBI-double, but teammate Jean Segura had gotten picked off of first base while Peralta was batting. On the mound, the rookie was solid that afternoon. He gave up only two hits and walked one while striking out five in eight innings. The Brewers shut the Mets out, 3-0.

Robbie Grossman

Grossman hit leadoff for the Houston Astros at in his big-league debut on April 24, 2013. In his second at-bat, in the bottom of the third, the 23-year-old center fielder doubled into the right-field corner off Seattle Mariners lefty Joe Saunders. The ball bounced into the seats for a ground-rule double. Grossman doubled off Saunders again to lead off the fifth inning. He came around to score on Brandon Laird’s double. That put Houston up, 5-0, and the Astros cruised to a 10-3 win in front of their hometown fans.

Jonathan Schoop

In a battle of the birds, Schoop joined the Baltimore Orioles to face Toronto Blue Jays on September 25, 2013. The 21-year-old second baseman debuted as Baltimore’s eighth-place hitter. In his first at-bat, in the bottom of the third, Schoop hit the ball hard for a single up the middle off righty Esmil Rogers. He then scored on teammate Ryan Flaherty’s two-run homer. Schoop’s second hit was even sweeter. Leading off the sixth, he greeted incoming reliever Kyle Drabek with a long home run over Camden Yards’ center-field wall. Schoop also walked and scored in the eighth. The Orioles flew past the Blue Jays, 9-5.

Tucker Barnhart

Barnhart went hitless in first two games as a major leaguer, although he didn’t get a plate appearance in the second one. Third time was the charm, though. The 23-year-old Cincinnati Reds catcher lined a single to right off the New York Mets’ Dillon Gee in the third inning on April 5, 2014. It was fielded by former Tiger Curtis Granderson. Barnhart followed that up with a pop fly to short right-center that dropped in for a hit. He didn’t score in the Reds’ 6-3 loss.

Javier Báez

Báez was one of the top prospects in the Chicago Cubs organization when he was called up to the majors in the summer of 2014. The 21-year-old second baseman went 0-5 with three strikeouts through the first 10 innings of his debut on August 5. The game against the Colorado Rockies kept on going, however. Báez led off the top of the 12th inning and jumped on the first pitch he saw from lefty Boone Logan. His home run to right-center made the difference in the Cubs’ 6-5 win.

Andrew Chafin

Chafin, the Tigers’ shaggy-haired reliever, began his MLB career as a starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. On September 17, 2014, he and the D’backs were hosting the San Francisco Giants. In the bottom half, the 24-year-old rookie stepped to the plate against San Fran ace Madison Baumgarner. This was Chafin’s first big-league plate appearance. He didn’t get to bat in his debut, an interleague game in an American League ballpark. Although Chafin is a left-hander on the mound, he was batting right-handed.

With two outs and runners on the corner, Chafin tagged Baumgarner for a single to right that drove in former Tiger Cody Ross with the tying run. “Mad Bum”, a pretty good hitter for a pitcher, returned the favor when he led off the third inning with a single off Chafin. After striking out in the fourth, Chafin finished the season with a .500 batting average. He’s since had three hitless at-bats.

The baby-faced and short-haired 2014 Andrew Chafin may look unrecognizable to Detroit Tigers fans in 2022. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Jeimer Candelario

The Chicago Cubs were getting blown out by the New York Mets, 11-1, when Candelario batted for the third time in the top of the seventh on July 3, 2016. Candelario was 0-for-2 with a pair of inning-ending strikeouts against the Mets’ big righty, Noah Syndergaard. Leading off this inning, the 22-year-old third baseman’s bat found a hole on the right side of the infield. Candy’s single off Thor into right was fielded by former Tiger Curtis Granderson. Javier Báez, who became Candelario’s teammate once again in Detroit this year, singled him to second. The Chicago threat fizzled out, though, and New York won a 14-3 laugher.

Victor Reyes

Reyes debuted as a Rule 5 player for the Tigers in 2018. In his third big-league game, in Cleveland on April 10, the switch-hitting Reyes led off the seventh inning in a game the Tigers trailed, 1-0. Batting right-handed against Indians southpaw reliever Tyler Olson, Reyes fell behind, 0-2, in the count. After fouling off another pitch, he put the ball in play. Second baseman Jason Kipnis dove for the ball, but it was just out of reach. Reyes followed up his first big-league hit with his first stolen base. He scored his first big-league run when Jeimer Candelario doubled him home. The Tigers had tied the game but ultimately lost, 2-1.

Austin Meadows

With two outs in the bottom of the fourth of a 2-2 tie between the San Diego Padres and his Pittsburgh Pirates on May 18, 2018, Meadows singled to right off future Tiger Tyson Ross. Another pair of future Detroit Tigers, Jordy Mercer and Ivan Nova, followed the rookie to the plate that inning. Mercer was intentionally walked after Meadows stole second. Nova hit into an inning-ending force play. Meadows singled off Ross again in the sixth. He didn’t score in the Pirates’ 3-2 loss. The 23-year-old outfielder continued to rack up hits and was named National League Rookie of the Month for May. In just 13 games, Meadows hit .409/.426/.796 with three doubles, a triple, and four home runs to earn the honors.

Eric Haase

The native Detroiter got his first big-league hit in a Detroit Tigers game on September 16, 2018. However, Haase was playing for the Cleveland Indians that day. Appearing in a starting lineup for the first time, the 25-year-old catcher struck out against the Tigers’ Francisco Liriano in the bottom of the second at Progressive Field. Haase swung at Liriano’s first pitch in the fourth. There were two men on with one out, and Haase’s RBI-single broke a 1-1 tie. He made it as far as third base before the inning ended. The Tigers went on to win, 6-4.

Harold Castro

Castro was a surprise call-up when he joined the Detroit Tigers in the waning days of the 2018 season. The 24-year-old, who had been with the organization since 2011, had already returned home to Venezuela to prepare for winter ball when he was summoned to Detroit. After debuting as a pinch runner on September 23, Castro made his first start on September 25 in Minnesota as the Tigers’ shortstop. He made the final out in both the second and fifth innings.

When he stepped in as the leadoff hitter in the top of the eighth, Detroit trailed, 1-0. That’s when the tide turned. That’s where the origin story of “Hittin’ Harold” begins.

On the first pitch he saw from Trevor Hildenberger, Castro ripped a single into right field. That turned out to be the impetus of a four-run rally. For his part, Castro also stole second. He was originally called out, but Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire challenged. Upon review, the call was overturned. Castro took third when Christin Stewart walked and scored on Nick Castellanos’ single. Detroit went on to celebrate a 4-2 victory.

Harold Castro of the Detroit Tigers bats against the Minnesota Twins on September 25, 2018 at Target Field in Minneapolis. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) /

Gregory Soto

It may be a stretch to call Soto a modern-day Earl Wilson, but Soto just may be the best hitting Detroit Tigers pitcher since Wilson was slugging away in the late-1960s. Okay, that’s hyperbole, but believe it or not, the Tigers’ closer is 2-for-2 in his career as a big-league batter. Seven of Soto’s first eight appearances in 2019 were as a starting pitcher, including a game that was played on May 24. Detroit took on the New York Mets at Citi Field in the opener of a weekend interleague series.

Soto’s teammates had given him a nice 4-0 lead when he came to bat for the very first time in the top of the second. The 24-year-old rookie took his cuts against Noah Syndergaard. Down 0-1 in the count, Soto lined a single to left field. He made it as far as third base but was stranded. He led off the fourth with another single into center off Thor. Soto’s day was done after the Mets rocked him for four runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Tigers battled on and claimed a 9-8 victory in the end.

Gregory Soto of the Detroit Tigers reacts after his first major league hit, a single in the second inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on May 24, 2019. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Willi Castro

The Detroit Tigers’ second Castro made his MLB league debut on August 24, 2019 in Minnesota. The 22-year-old shortstop went hitless in his first two at-bats against Twins starter Kyle Gibson. Detroit trailed, 6-4, when Willi led off the top of the sixth against Gibson. This time, the rookie prevailed. Castro doubled to center. He later came around to score on Victor Reyes’ single.

In his next at-bat, Castro led off the eighth. By this time, the Twins had boosted their lead to 8-5. Facing veteran reliver Sergio Romo, Castro singled into left field. Although Dawel Lugo followed with a walk, the Tigers couldn’t capitalize. The 8-5 score held up as the final in the Minnesota win.

Spencer Torkelson

Torkelson’s struggles so far in 2022 have been well-documented. Fans were so excited to see the first overall pick in the 2020 draft make his major-league debut back on Opening Day at Comerica Park. After going hitless in his first four games, Torkelson finally delivered his long-awaited first hit on April 12 against the Boston Red Sox. In the bottom of the third, the 22-year-old first baseman doubled off 42-year-old left-hander Rich Hill. It was a solid shot into the gap in right-center that a diving Christian Arroyo couldn’t snag. Torkelson came around to score the first of Detroit’s three runs that inning, but those were also Detroit’s only three runs. Boston won, 5-3.

Kody Clemens

Clemens went 0-for-17 for the Detroit Tigers this season after being summoned to the Motor City in May. On June 13, in his 10th game a big-leaguer, he finally broke that hitless streak with a leadoff single in the bottom of the second against the Chicago White Sox. The game was tied, 2-2, and Clemens came around to score the go-ahead run on Harold Castro’s single. That was still the score when Clemens faced Chicago starter Lance Lynn again in the fourth. The 26-year-old rookie second baseman singled again, but didn’t score this time. The visiting White Sox went on to beat the Tigers, 9-5.

Riley Greene

That brings us to the hit that inspired this piece. Fully recovered from the foot injury that delayed his debut, Greene arrived in Detroit on the morning of June 18. The 21-year-old centerfielder was hitting sixth in manager A.J. Hinch’s lineup that afternoon. Some pretty rare productivity from the guys in the lineup ahead of him meant that Greene would make it to the plate in the opening frame. The Tigers led the Texas Rangers, 3-1, when the top prospect in the Detroit organization stepped in against left-hander Taylor Hearn. Greene kept the rally going with a with fly ball to shallow left-center that dropped in for a single. Later in the game, Riley singled again, walked twice, and scored twice in the Tigers’ 14-7 romp.

(Roster current as of June 18, 2022.)

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Recalling Each of the Current Detroit Tigers’ First MLB Hits