Detroit — No free pizza. That’s the final ruling, and fans aren’t afforded any challenges.
Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson came oh so close to winning free pizza for Tigers fans in Wednesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Comerica Park, when he homered in the fourth inning.
Spencer Torkelson bats during the Tigers game Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at Comerica Park in Detroit.
The home run to left field flirted with finding the hole in the glove of the Little Caesars Pizza mascot that sits atop the roof dividing the bullpens. Finding the hole on the fly or on a bounce will someday trigger free pizza for all fans (and not just those in attendance). It’s never happened before. And it still hasn’t happened.
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The ball is allowed to ricochet off the roof or the wall en route to the hole on a home run, but it can’t bounce off a fan, and after several replays, it was determined Torkelson’s home run grazed at least one fan before bouncing around beyond the wall and eventually kicking back and trickling into the hole of the glove.
There was a bit of confusion, because the home-run ball seemed to jar loose another baseball that a fan was holding. But Tigers officials rolled back the tape and delivered their verdict.
The free-pizza promotion began at the start of the 2021 season, with a very small hole in the Little Caesars Pizza mitt serving as a target that very few hitters ever have come close to hitting. So, the hole in the glove was expanded for the 2026 season, in hopes of somebody triggering the prize, from 3 feet across to 6 feet across.
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When the pizza prize eventually is triggered, fans will receive a promo code for a free large pepperoni or cheese pizza, redeemable at participating Metro Detroit stores (most, if not all, are ready to participate). More than 400 home runs have been hit at Comerica Park since the promotion launched.
As for Torkelson, who’s been off to a rough start this year, that was his first home run of 2026.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Spencer Torkelson finally homers, but Tigers fans denied free pizza