Colt Keith finally got one into the seats, and the Tigers turned it into a runaway. Keith hit his first home run of the season on Thursday afternoon at Comerica Park, a 419-foot drive to right field that helped power an 11-0 win over the Minnesota Twins.
The homer ended a drought that had stretched across 219 at-bats, including the 2025 postseason, and Keith said the first one out of the way felt like a weight coming off his shoulders. He also liked the reaction that followed. Teammates gave him the silent treatment, and he said that part was pretty fun. For a hitter carrying that kind of stretch, the break mattered because power struggles can become a daily search for one clean swing, with every game adding another layer of pressure.
Keith did more than just clear the fence. He also had a two-out RBI single to center field in the fourth inning, his third hit since May 27 and his first RBI since May 24. Spencer Torkelson added his 10th homer of the season in that same inning, and Gleyber Torres followed with his fourth homer in the fifth. By the time the Tigers were done, they had a season-high six home runs and their third consecutive series win in June.
That kind of outburst gives the Tigers something they badly needed after a rough stretch. They won just one series in May, their first one of the month, and had been buried by that slump before beginning to climb in June. They have now won seven games in June, after winning six all of May, but they are still looking up in the American League Central and wild-card standings. AJ Hinch said the point is to keep winning games and winning series, and that June has been a lot more fun for obvious reasons.
The cleanest read on Thursday is that Keith’s breakthrough and the Tigers’ power surge were tied together. Whether Keith’s first homer opens a longer run, and whether Colt Keith and the Tigers can keep turning June into real ground in the standings, is the next question that matters.
