Tigers slug their way to 13-1 romp over the White Sox

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News on Jun 2, 2025

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

CHICAGO — The Detroit Tigers threw a little party on the South Side to celebrate the return of center fielder Parker Meadows.

After scoring just eight runs in the three games in Kansas City over the weekend, they slugged five home runs in the first six innings – three of them by Kerry Carpenter -- on their way to a resounding 13-1 romp over the Chicago White Sox Monday night.

It was clear before the game that there was some different energy in the Tigers’ clubhouse and it had everything to do with Meadows being back in the lineup after missing the first 60 games with a nerve issue in his right arm.

And that energy transferred into the game against the White Sox at Rate Field.

(It’s called Rate Field now. It used to be called Guaranteed Rate Field, but they aren’t offering many guarantees on the South Side of Chicago these days.)

But we digress.

Carpenter got the party started with a two-run homer in the first inning against White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon. You might recall, Carpenter homered in the first inning off Cannon in the Tigers’ home opener on April 4. He hit two homers that day.

He did one better Monday.

Dillon Dingler also homered in the first and Wenceel Perez hit a two-run homer in the second. Carpenter hit his second homer, this one off Bryce Wilson, in the fourth. His third came in the sixth.

The three homers, Nos. 11, 12 and 13, covered 1,156 feet and produced five runs. He’s the first Tiger to hit three homers in a game since Victor Martinez did it on June 16, 2016.

He got a shot at four homers but flew out to center.

And what about Meadows? He was, a factor. To say the least.

With the game still 3-0, he saved a run with a diving catch of a sinking liner by Andrew Benintendi with a runner on third and two outs in the first.

The Tigers’ dugout exploded with a chorus of jazz snaps, orchestrated by Tarik Skubal and the other starting pitchers.

He walked and stole second base in the second. He doubled off the wall in left-center in the fourth and scored on a single by Gleyber Torres. He tripled in the sixth and scored again, this time on a groundout by Torres.

Meadows walked and scored again in the eighth. He was on base in four straight plate appearances and scored three runs.

The Tigers came with some party gags, too.

Jack Flaherty, who started and pitched six strong innings, tripped and slipped face first trying to get over to first base to cover on a grounder to first. He got up, looked at Torres at second. Torres gave the safe sign with his arms.

There was a better one in the fifth. Dingler chased a foul pop hit by Joshua Palacios toward the White Sox dugout. He tried to catch it on a slide but he ended up batting the ball toward third baseman Zach McKinstry, who was racing over from third base.

McKinstry trapped the ball against his leg and then secured it in his glove for a 2-5 putout.

Also, with Meadows returning, Javier Baez was back at shortstop, his first start there since April 18. The first ball hit to him was a bullet to his left in the sixth inning. He made a diving stop and threw out Vinny Capra from his butt.

He gave himself jazz snaps while he was still seated.

Wait, there was more.

Finally, after sitting and waiting through the three games in Kansas City, rookie Dylan Smith made his Major League debut. He hit the first batter he faced, but erased him in a 6-3 double-play, a slick play by Trey Sweeney, who entered the game in the seventh.

Smith got himself out of trouble in the eighth inning, too, getting Austin Slater to hit into a 6-4-3 double-play. This time the 4 in that equation was Baez, who shifted over to second base when Sweeney entered.

It will go in the books as a two-inning, scoreless debut.

It was a fun night for the visiting team.

____