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Tigers broadcast predicting Spencer Torkelson HR and then celebrating was incredible

"Somebody alert NASA!"
Emma Lingan
Emma Lingan

Motor City Bengals

Sep 25, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson (20) celebrates in the dugout after scoring a run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

When Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson launched a two-run homer to left field Thursday at Comerica Park, perhaps no one was more excited about it than Carlos Peña.

Peña, a 14-year MLB veteran and former Tigers first baseman, has joined play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti and color analyst Kirk Gibson in the Bally Sports Detroit broadcast booth for the Tigers' stretch run. He was keeping a close eye on Torkelson's at-bat, in which he fouled off four straight pitches from Tampa Bay Rays reliever Manuel Rodríguez.

"I wouldn't be surprised right here if Rodríguez comes back with the slider," Peña said as the right-hander prepared to throw his eighth pitch of the at-bat. "Torkelson's got a beat on it."

Hollywood couldn't have written a more perfect script for what happened next. Rodríguez did indeed come back with the slider, and the rest is history. The moment the ball left Torkelson's bat, Peña was out of his seat, pumping his fist and high-fiving his broadcast partners in the booth.

"Somebody alert NASA!" Benetti yelled as the moonshot went sailing over the left field wall. "A Tork bomb for the ages!"

Peña, for his part, remained giddy with excitement as Torkelson rounded the bases to extend the Tigers lead to 5-1. They would go on to defeat the Rays by a final score of 7-1.

Tigers shrink magic number to clinch playoff berth with win over Tampa Bay

The Tigers (84-74) have now won four games in a row and eight of their last nine. Their latest victory over the Rays keeps them at a two-game lead over the Minnesota Twins for the third and final spot in the American League Wild Card race. The Tigers are tied with the Royals for the second Wild Card spot, but Kansas City has the head-to-head tiebreaker over Detroit.

The Tigers will look to complete the sweep of the Rays in the series finale Thursday in Detroit. Their magic number is down to three, and they could punch their ticket to the MLB postseason since 2014 as early as Friday.

Fans are certainly confident that's going to happen with the roll this team is on. And if the broadcast booth can keep up this energy, the Tigers' run might be one of the most memorable of the modern era.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.