Yabba-da-Baddoo! Tigers HR-happy at MMP

Detroit Tigers

HOUSTON — Akil Baddoo apologized to Detroit manager A.J. Hinch on Monday night after going into a home run trot and slapping hands with first-base coach Ramon Santiago on what turned out to be a 403-foot double to one of the deepest parts of Minute Maid Park. So when Baddoo lofted a pitch to cozier left field on Tuesday, he bolted out of the batter’s box just in case.

He didn’t have to. The ball landed in the Crawford boxes, just as two other home runs did off Jake Odorizzi in his Astros debut. And as the legend of Baddoo’s rapid rise from Rule 5 Draft pick to Tigers star continued with his fourth home run in two weeks above Class A ball, Detroit’s offensive onslaught on the Astros continued with an 8-2 win.

The Tigers, who scored six runs while suffering a three-game series sweep in Cleveland to begin this road trip and hit 11 home runs over their first nine games this season, have eight homers and 14 runs through two games in Houston. Two have been hit by Baddoo, who would’ve had three if not for the aforementioned double.

In contrast to Baddoo’s double and his 450-foot home run to center on Monday, Tuesday’s opposite-field drive off an Odorzzi splitter traveled just 348 feet and had a .200 expected batting average according to Statcast. Baddoo’s hit occurred in the only park where it would be a home run, according to Root Sports Houston. Baddoo rounded the bases in 19.3 seconds, the 13th-fastest trip in the Majors this season according to Statcast.

Add in his two home runs from last week, and Baddoo is the first Tiger to hit four home runs within his first eight Major League games, according to Elias Sports Bureau. He’s the first Major Leaguer to post four homers and 10 RBIs within his first eight games since Seattle’s Kyle Lewis did it two years ago.

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