Two homers. One inning. One historic night in Anaheim.
You could forgive Riley Greene for not realizing he was about to make Major League Baseball history on Friday night. He was just trying to win a ballgame.
“I was just thinking, ‘Win the baseball game.’ That’s about it,” Greene said as quoted by MLB.com after the Tigers’ 9–1 win over the Angels. “That was the only thing on my mind.”
Spoiler alert: he did a little more than just help them win.
Greene Goes Yard—Twice—In One Inning
The moment began when Greene stepped in to lead off the top of the ninth inning in a 1–1 game. Veteran closer Kenley Jansen was on the mound for the Angels. Greene promptly greeted him with a solo shot down the right-field line. Tigers lead, 2–1.
RILEY. COLT.
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 3, 2025
Back-to-back homers in clutch time ‼️ pic.twitter.com/MoSJWHp65W
Now, most guys would be satisfied with that kind of moment. Not Greene.
Fast forward a few batters, and Greene was right back up—this time facing Jake Eder, with two runners on base. One big swing later, he sent a sweeper 409 feet into the Southern California night.
RILEY GREENE'S SECOND HOMER OF THE INNING 🤯 pic.twitter.com/W5nIPntTRv
— MLB (@MLB) May 3, 2025
MLB History: First Ever to Do It in the Ninth
Here’s the mind-blowing part: no player in MLB history had ever hit two home runs in the ninth inning of a game.
Greene is now officially the first.
“Pretty cool,” he said, in classic Riley Greene understatement.
Rare Tigers Company
Only two other Tigers have hit two homers in a single inning:
- Al Kaline (1955, sixth inning)
- Magglio Ordóñez (2007, seventh inning)
Now it’s Greene’s name joining the list—but he’s the only one to ever do it in the final frame.
He wasn’t even sure the first one would get out:
“I got it, but it didn’t feel too good,” Greene said. “I got out of the box because I needed to get on second or third.”
No such hesitation on the second bomb, which Greene admitted, “felt a lot better.”
What It Means
Not only did Greene give the Tigers a late lead, but he helped blow the doors open in a game that was still very much up for grabs in the ninth. With the Tigers now sitting at 21–12, there’s real momentum brewing in Detroit.
The Bottom Line
Riley Greene made MLB history with two ninth-inning home runs, and did it with the kind of calm, humble swagger Detroit fans have come to love. He wasn’t trying to make headlines—he just wanted to win a baseball game.
The history books? They can thank him later.
