Spencer Torkelson lashes out at umpire after strike call in Detroit Tigers’ 6-4 victory over Kansas City Royals: ‘The f***k are you looking at?’
- Torkelson, 23, faced Royals reliever Taylor Clarke in the bottom of the seventh
- The first and third basemen were selected as the No. 1 pick of the 2020 MLB draft
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
First and third baseman Spencer Torkelson completely lost his composure when he came on to bat for the Detroit Tigers in the team’s 6-4 home win against the Kansas City Royals on Monday.
Torkelson, 23, came to home in the bottom of the seventh inning with two runners up and a chance to tie the score or take the lead, as the Tigers trailed 4-3. He struckout after a 2-2 substitution of Royals reliever Taylor Clarke was called on third strike by the umpire, Will Little.
Torkelson, who was selected by Detroit as the first overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft, began lashing out as soon as his time at home ran out.
“Oh my f**king god,” he said, as the field’s mike picked up his fury in the heat of battle.
“The f**k are you looking at?”
Spencer Torkelson appeared at bat in the bottom of the seventh inning for the Tigers vs. Royals
Torkelson, 23, completely lost patience with the game’s umpire, Will Little, after striking out
It was revealed moments later that Clarke’s throw had been correctly judged as a strike through the broadcast’s strike zone. MLB’s pitch chart also came to the same conclusion.
Monday-evening was far from ideal for Torkelson, who didn’t get on the scoreboard, as he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
However, Kerry Carpenter, who appeared right after Torkelson at bat, hit a three-run homer to give Detroit the lead and the win in what was a consecutive win for Detroit.
Torkelson’s stumbled in the majors since being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in 2020
Torkelson has struggled to live up to the hype that has dogged him from the minor leagues since being picked #1 by the Tigers three years ago.
He only hit for a .645 OPS with 16 home runs in his first 700 major league outings at home plate, though his stats have recently improved.
In the past two weeks, Torkelson hit an .818 OPS with three home runs and is averaging .231/.313,386 this season.
The Tigers have been absent from the MLB postseason since 2014, initially seeing first and third basemen as the centerpiece of the team’s rebuild.
Detroit currently has an overall record of 31-40 so far this season. The Tigers are just four games behind the Minnesota Twins — the team that currently leads the AL Central.