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See the full story · 1 sourcesDETROIT, MICHIGAN - JULY 09: Eduardo Valencia #32 of the Detroit Tigers celebrates his seventh inning solo home run next to Shea Langeliers #23 of the Athletics at Comerica Park on July 09, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Getty
It wasn’t long ago that Eduardo Valencia made his Major League Baseball debut for the Detroit Tigers, an organization that he’s been part of since 2018. But he’s more than made up for lost time with the impact that he’s brought to the club in his short time in the Majors so far.
The Tigers, who have managed to battle themselves back to within 4.5 games of the first overall spot in the American League Central Division standings, will be counting on Valencia to continue delivering as he has so far. And thanks to his eye-popping accomplishments so far in his young MLB career, Valencia has found himself in the club record books.
Eduardo Valencia Has Matched A Detroit Tigers Club Record Not Seen In Nearly 100 Years
According to the official Public Relations account of the Tigers on X, Valencia has set a club record, overtaking the previous mark that was set nearly 100 years ago in 1928.
“Eduardo Valencia set a franchise record with 29 total bases in his first 11 big league games,” TigersPR wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The previous high of 28 total bases was established by Dale Alexander back in 1929.”
Last month, he became just the 10th player in Tigers history to hit a home run at his first MLB at-bat, and the first since Akil Baddoo did so in 2021.
Naturally, for a player who has already had a considerable journey to the Majors, it was a major moment for him.
“Ten years ago, I didn’t think I was going to sign,” Valencia said following the game. “Five years ago, I thought it was the end of my career after [Tommy John surgery], after hamstrings, after surgery on my hand. Thank God.”
“I knew I hit it good,” Valencia said, “but I know Comerica is a big park. I was just thinking in my mind, ‘Go, go, go, please.’ Thank God the ball was gone.”
Meanwhile, skipper A.J. Hinch praised his perseverance.
“This is an organizational win and a player win, watching him pull himself out of the early-season drought that he was in,” Hinch said. “We were really excited with what he was doing in camp, his bat speed, his exit velos, his ability to cover different pitches, just the feel for hitting, [playing] multiple positions. And then we send him off to Triple-A and he really had a rough go of it getting his season underway, but never backed down.”
His teammates, led by Kerry Carpenter , were also thrilled for his accomplishment.
“I’m so happy for him,” Carpenter said. “Like, if there’s one guy in the world who deserves that, it’s that guy. And it just felt like he was going to hit a homer, because he’s not scared of the moment. He’s out there playing baseball like it’s Field 3 of the GCL like seven years ago.”
Eduardo Valencia Has Already Made A Major Impact On The Detroit Tigers
So far in his young MLB career, Valencia is hitting .452 with four home runs and 11 RBI.
He and the Tigers will continue their series against the Seattle Mariners with a game on Wednesday evening.
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