While the Tigers are currently in Lakeland, Florida, preparations are underway for a jam-packed April sports calendar in Detroit. Comerica Park will see the Tigers’ Home opener first pitch scheduled for 1:10 pm on Friday, April 5th. The ritual of spring brings out politicians, celebrities, and fans for what has become a “holiday” in Detroit. Bosses will “be in a meeting”, kids will be out of school with a fever, “Tiger Fever”, and the faithful will celebrate a game that makes sense in a world gone crazy.
The Tigers will square off against the Oakland A’s for the first Opening Day home game since 1993. The good news is that the score against the A’s in 1993 was 20 – 4 with the Tigers walking away with a convincing start to the season. It was the 82nd opening day for baseball at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenue. Mike Ilitch had just purchased the franchise the previous season and spruced up the old ballpark with a food court. Kirk Gibson, a 35-year-old, made his return to a packed house as a Tiger and received a standing ovation. Detroit scored 20 runs on 18 hits, an astounding 12 walks, and two errors. The 20 runs were the most that a Tigers team had scored in a home opener since 1922 when the team scored 15 runs vs. Cleveland. It was also the first 20-run game the franchise had seen since the 1937 Tigers beat the St. Louis Browns 20-7. The 1993 Tigers were just one short of tying the club record for most runs in a game set in September 1901. Tony LaRussa was the A’s manager and called the game an “embarrassment”.
Tickets for opening day at Comerica are available but going fast, and the price is on the rise. The day is guaranteed to see faces not normally associated with baseball on the field… and there will be some faces and voices that will always be remembered. Hopefully, fans will hear the voice of Ernie Harwell ring out over an improved visual and audio system. Comerica has a brand-new videoboard, measuring 15,688 square feet
Significant enhancements will be made to the audio system at Comerica Park, and televisions throughout the ballpark will be upgraded. New televisions throughout the Comerica Park concourse will feature advanced signal quality and additional channels, including live feeds of the Tigers’ minor league affiliate teams. The connected IPTV system will also be upgraded to provide a consistent and enhanced visual experience throughout the ballpark.
