BRONX, NY — Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter uses faith to unlock his power at the plate. His belief in the higher power has helped him fight through adversity and self doubt.
Speaking with Latino Sports earlier this week while the Tigers were in the Bronx to face the Yankees, Carpenter referred to God being there with him in the biggest at-bat of his life, which was a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the 2024 American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians.
Provided below is our in depth conversation styled for our readers and followers with additional information.
Q: What was it like hitting such a big home run against Emmanuel Clase in the Postseason last year?
A: “I pretty much blacked out the whole time and it felt like the Lord was in the box with me. It feels like when he’s in the box anything can happen. It would be a blessing to go back to the playoffs and make it further than we did last year. There were a lot of cool moments in the postseason and I’m excited for the potential to have another chance.”
Carpenter, 28, made his MLB debut in 2022 and started to really break out in 2024 with an OPS of .932 and 18 home runs in 264 at-bats. Last season, his at-bats were limited due to injuries and platooning against righties for the most part—only getting 28 at-bats against lefties on the year.
This season he is getting more opportunities against left-handed pitching and has career highs in home runs (24) doubles (18) as well as total bases (199). He is also close to passing his previous career-high of 64 RBI in a season, which stands at 59 currently.
Carpenter mentioned his love for playing at Yankee Stadium with his left-handed power swing being destined for short porch bombs.
Q: How hard is it for you to try and swing for the fences when the short porch is right there?
A: “My approach is usually to swing for the fences so I feel right at home here. To sneak one out the other night was pretty fun.”
The home run referred to here was on Wednesday, September 10th, Carpenter’s third home run off a lefty this season, taking Yankees reliever Tim Hill deep for a two-run shot in the eighth inning of Detroit’s 11-1 win.
Q: We see all the home runs, but what’s the work that goes on off the field or something in your training that helps give you an edge?
A:“Off the field, something that helps me succeed is to forget about baseball and spend time with my wife and daughter. I couldn’t do this without my wife and that’s honesty, something that helps me out on the field because it gives me perspective.”
It was not always smooth sailing for Carpenter, who was a 19th round pick out of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University by the Tigers in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Q: Was there ever a time you questioned if you would make it to MLB and what did you do to handle adversity if those situations came up?;
“There were a lot of times I thought I wouldn’t make it in high school and college. I didn’t have this on my mind because I didn’t believe in myself at the time. It all changed when I gave my life to Jesus Christ. What he’s done with my life since 2021 is unbelievable. If I was to say I did it on my own… I wouldn’t be here without him.”
Carpenter is a team player, adopting the Tigers mindset of taking the extra base and playing for each other. He also loves being a Tiger and getting to represent their rich franchise history.
Q: Is there a teammate or rival that pushes you to take your game to the next level?
“I think just playing for the guy next to you, in front of you, or behind you in the lineup is something that we play for. We like to go first to third (base) to help the guy behind us and get into scoring position.”
Carpenter will look to build on his career year that has seen him hit one home run for every 16.6 at-bats and recapture that October magic he had last season. For the Tigers, Detroit will have the AL Central clinched shortly with a 8.5 game lead and are also closing in on a first round bye, which would earn them another trip to the ALDS.
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