Riley Greene Draws Closer to Cubs' Seiya Suzuki For First Place in Key MLB Stat Category

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nick Meyer | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 9:29 PM ET

The Detroit Tigers faced the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night at Comerica Park in hopes of extending their time atop of the MLB team standings leaguewide.

The Tigers got a two-run homer from All-Star utility man Javier Baez in the second inning that gave starting pitcher Keider Montero a cushion to work with going forward.

Montero pitched six innings of one-run baseball as he was relieved by Tyler Holton in the seventh inning.

Detroit took a 3-1 lead on the Rays in the bottom of the fifth inning as All-Star starter Riley Greene smacked an RBI single to right-center field.

The accomplishment drew Greene closer to Major League Baseball's leader in the runs batted in category.

"RBI MACHINE:" WXYZ reporter Brad Galli wrote on X.

"Riley Greene singled to put the Tigers up 3-1 vs. the Rays. The All-Star outfield has 72 RBI. Seiya Suzuki (of the Chicago Cubs) is the MLB RBI leader as of Monday night with 77."

RBI MACHINE: Riley Greene singled to put the Tigers up 3-1 vs. the Rays. The All-Star outfielder has 72 RBI.

Seiya Suzuki is the MLB RBI leader as of Monday night with 77.

pic.twitter.com/vTmJZQlcAN
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) July 8, 2025

The Tigers added to their lead over manager Kevin Cash's Rays later on the night as Colt Keith and Zach McKinstry both hit solo home runs, giving Detroit a 5-1 lead.

Spencer Torkelson struck out to end the 7th inning but not before the damage was done, as the Tigers continued to march toward a series-opening win over Cash's team in downtown Detroit.

"Riley Greene is having a breakout year!" one fan said. "72 RBIs is legend," they added, wondering aloud if Greene will catch the Cubs All-Star snub for first place in the league by the time the season ends.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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