In June of 1999, University of Michigan pitcher Rich Hill was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds. Two months later, a kid was born in California by the name of Spencer Torkelson. When Hill made his MLB debut in June of 2005 with the Marlins -- the Florida Marlins, that is -- Torkelson had yet to turn six. He's 22 now.
And on Tuesday at Comerica Park, Torkelson dug in against a 42-year-old Hill and doubled into right-center field for the first hit of his major league career.
"That's pretty cool," Torkelson said. "But at the end of the day, it’s baseball. And no matter how old he is, he’s gotta throw a strike and I gotta swing at the strikes."
This one was a strike low and in, and Torkelson muscled it the other way. Red Sox right fielder Christian Arroyo had a chance at the ball, but it eluded his dive -- much to Torkelson's relief. He got a standing ovation when he reached second base.
"God, I was yelling at the ball. I was like, 'Get down, get down!,'" he laughed. But it felt good. And then having the crowd give me a little ovation was sweet. It was a double, too. Those were the baseball gods helping me out."
One of the top prospects in baseball and a potential future MVP candidate, Torkelson was hitless with seven strikeouts in 13 plate appearances entering Tuesday's game, a 5-3 loss for the Tigers. But he was generally working good at-bats, only to fall victim to some pitcher-friendly calls. Now he's on the board.
"The first one of the year is always the hardest to get, but it’s nothing I haven’t been through before, searching for a first knock. So I felt pretty comfortable and just trusted myself. It definitely feels good, like a weight’s been lifted off my shoulders," Torkelson said.
That should help him pick up the pace moving forward. He said he felt "even more relaxed" in the at-bats that followed, to be continued in Wednesday's rubber match against Boston.
As for the ball, Torkelson said it's going in his man cave -- "a minor league man cave," he admitted. He should have plenty of memorabilia to add to it in the years ahead.
Next on the agenda: his first home run.