Matt Vierling -- General News
General News sources for Matt Vierling of the Detroit Tigers
Matt Vierling is an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers who was born September 16, 1996, in St. Louis, Missouri. He made his MLB debut on June 19, 2021, after being drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth round of the 2018 draft (137th overall pick). He attended Notre Dame College. On January 7, 2023, the Phillies traded Vierling, Nick Maton, and Donny Sands to the Tigers for Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens.
In 2024, Vierling achieved career-best performances, playing in 144 games with a .257/.312/.423 slash line. He established new career highs in at-bats (518), hits (133), doubles (28), and home runs (16) while driving in 57 runs. Notable achievements include hitting a walk-off three-run homer on May 26 against Toronto, making him the first Tiger to hit a multi-homer game with a walk-off since Justin Upton in 2016. He also homered in both games of a doubleheader on May 29 versus Pittsburgh.
During the 2024 playoffs, Vierling played in all seven of Detroit's games, going 4-for-28 with a double and two RBI. On October 7 at Cleveland, he reached base four times (2-for-3 with a double and two walks), becoming the first Tiger to reach base four times in a postseason game since Austin Jackson on October 16, 2013, against Boston.
In 2023, his first season with Detroit, Vierling played 134 games and was named the Tigers' nominee for the MLBPAA Heart and Hustle Award. He won MLB's Electric Play of the Week for a home run-robbing catch on April 18 against Cleveland. Career milestones include multiple four-hit games and becoming the first Tiger to triple in consecutive games since Robbie Grossman in 2021.