Riley Greene records historic 100th RBI, lifts Tigers past Royals

Riley Greene keeps making history. 

Earlier this week, the Detroit Tigers’ slugger set a franchise record with a 471-ft. grand slam–the longest home run by a Tigers’ player in the Statcast Era (since 2015). 

His encore came in the fourth inning of a 5-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium. Greene drilled a go-ahead, two-run double for RBIs No. 100 and 101 this season, becoming the first Tiger to reach 100 RBI since Nick Castellanos in 2017, per Robert Falkoff of MLB.com. 

Greene makes history

Greene’s double wasn’t only historic; it also gave the Tigers a one-run lead they wouldn’t give up en route to snapping a four-game losing streak. With that, the 24-year-old outfielder also became the first Tigers’ left-handed hitter to reach 100 RBI before September since Rusty Staub in 1978. 

“He can do even better and that’s incredible to say, for someone who has carried us for so many games,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of Greene, per Falkoff. “To put up those numbers, you’ve got to post [up] and be in there against every guy. I applaud him for his consistency in posting every day and helping us win.”

Greene was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 Draft and made his MLB debut in 2022. He’s set career marks in nearly every category this year, slashing .269/.324/.517 with 32 homers and 101 RBI, and he’s been named an All-Star for the past two seasons. 

He’s a major reason why Detroit currently holds the top seed in the American League, 0.5 games ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Tigers continue their series against the Royals tonight at 7:15 p.m. ET.