The Tigers walked off the Astros 1-0 Tuesday night in extra innings, but **Gleyber Torres’** game-winning RBI carried extra meaning beyond just securing the series win.
Torres drew a bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning for his **500th career RBI**, reaching the milestone in the most pressure-packed moment possible. He’d been sitting at 499 for several games, fully aware he was one away.
“I’ve had like five chances to get it since he told me,” Torres said. “He put it in my head.”
He’s talking about first base coach Anthony Iapoce, who mentioned the milestone during their recent series against Minnesota. Sometimes it’s better not to know.
The walk capped off a classic pitchers’ duel between **Tarik Skubal** and **Hunter Brown**, with both starters keeping the game scoreless through nine innings. Torres stepped up with two outs and the bases loaded – exactly the situation you want your All-Star second baseman in.
The full-count pitch wasn’t even close. Torres took an obvious ball four well outside the strike zone for the easiest walk-off you’ll see.
Career Numbers Adding Up
At 28 years old and in his eighth MLB season, Torres has put together solid career numbers. The **500 RBIs** mark represents longevity and consistent production – not every player reaches that threshold.
He’s doing it across **1,001 career games** now, which puts his RBI pace in decent company historically. What makes this season special is how he’s stepped up as Detroit’s primary offensive catalyst.
Torres leads the Tigers with **63 walks** and sits second in hits with **108**. He’s also third on the team in both RBIs (**59**) and runs (**63**), plus fourth in home runs with **13**.
The post-All-Star numbers haven’t been pretty – he’s hitting just **.200 with a .598 OPS** since the break. But his overall contributions have been crucial for a Tigers team that’s controlled the AL Central most of the season.
His next milestone is within reach too. Torres has **978 career hits**, putting him just 22 away from 1,000 with 34 games remaining. That’s definitely doable if he can find his swing again down the stretch.
Free Agent Success Story
The Tigers’ **$15 million** investment in Torres has paid off exactly as they hoped. He made the All-Star team as the starting second baseman and has been a steady presence in a lineup that’s helped Detroit maintain its division lead.
According to Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press, Tuesday’s moment perfectly captured what Torres has meant to this Tigers team – clutch production when it matters most.
The timing couldn’t be better either. With Detroit sitting atop the American League standings and just over a month left in the regular season, they need Torres to snap out of his recent struggles. Getting milestone pressure off his back might be exactly what he needs.
Sometimes the best walk-offs are the ones where you never take the bat off your shoulder.
