CHICAGO -- Detroit Tigers designated hitter Kerry Carpenter smashed three home runs against the White Sox on Monday night, becoming the first Tiger to accomplish that feat since Victor Martinez in 2016.
In all, the Tigers hit five home runs in their 13-1 blowout win over the last place team in the AL Central.
"My swing, my timing was good," Carpenter said afterward. "There was a lot of trust in my swing. That's kind of why things like tonight happen."
Carpenter, 27, hit home runs in his second, third and fourth at-bats after striking out in the second inning. He said it was the first time he's ever hit three home runs in a game at any level of baseball. He admitted to going for a fourth home run in his final at-bat but flied out to center.
"I was trying," Carpenter said with a smile. "I was confident. I was trying to get a good pitch to hit. He threw a good one but I was trying."
According to ESPN Research, Carpenter is the third Tigers player in the last 20 seasons with three home runs and five RBI in a game joining Miguel Cabrera (2013) and J.D. Martinez (2015).
Carpenter is the seventh player this season to hit three home runs in a game and third to accomplish it in the first six innings. He has six home runs in four games against Chicago this season while hitting seven in 52 games against everyone else.
"Those are special nights," Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. "I don't know how often anyone ever sees it but when he gets good pitches to hit, he's as dangerous as anybody. It was nice to see him connect."
Carpenter's three home runs were part of a 16 hit barrage which included two from center fielder Parker Meadows who was making his season debut after recovering from an arm injury. He doubled, tripled and scored three times while leading off for the first place Tigers. A season high ten different Tigers had a hit in the game.
Detroit made some big plays on defense as well including a sliding catch in the left field corner by Riley Greene, a diving stop by Javier Baez at shortstop and a highlight reel sequence when catcher Dillon Dingler attempted to catch a foul pop up off the bat of White Sox right fielder Joshua Palacios. The ball popped out of Dingler's glove and hit the leg of third baseman Zack McKinstry before landing in his glove.
"I'm not sure McKinstry had it until he looked down," Hinch said. "Unique play and a big out. In a game full of fun things, that was one of them."
