Hopes for Tigers’ success high on Opening Day
Fans upbeat before, after 5-4 victory over the Athletics
Fans arrived at Comerica Park on Opening Day with a playoff run on their minds.
The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox three times on the road this week and then won two of three games against the New York Mets before beating the Oakland Athletics 5-4 in their home opener Friday.
“I’m at about an 8.5,” said Joan Welch before the game, pinpointing her excitement level this season on a scale of 1-10.
Fans filled Grand Circus Park for tailgating festivities outside of Comerica Park, where upbeat music blared on a chilly April morning with moments of snow.
Kevin and Araceli Ambers, of Detroit, celebrated the start of their second year as season ticket holders. Araceli Ambers, 41, admitted she’s not really into baseball. Kevin Ambers, 39, is the longtime Tigers fan. One of his favorite memories, he said, was bringing his grandfather to an Opening Day game when the team faced the Toronto Blue Jays, his grandfather’s favorite team.
Kevin is hopeful for the season.
“At least make it to the playoffs,” Kevin said. “I think the fans deserve it.”
Brent Abel, 38, brought his two sons, Max, 8, and Ben, 6, along with his father-in-law, Mike Niebaurer, 64. At home in Maumee, Ohio, Max plays Little League and Ben plays T-ball. The family drove more than an hour so Max and
Ben could experience their first Opening Day. The brothers have been Tigers fans since they were in diapers — with Max remembering a Miguel Cabrera onesie his dad bought for him.
“We probably won’t have as many grand slams or walk-offs,” said Max Abel, when asked how the team will do without the longtime superstar who retired last year.
Traditions continue
Opening Day traditions were in full force at Vivio's in Eastern Market on Friday morning.
It was shortly after Opening Day last year that the Blasch family lost the man who started
their baseball traditions. Brothers Brendan, Bryan, Sean and Matt Blasch came to love baseball as kids in Cincinnati, thanks to their dad, Paul.
They were fans of Reds manager Sparky Anderson and after the family moved to Detroit, they picked up their loyalty to Anderson when he started managing the Tigers, becoming nearly lifelong Detroit baseball fans. The family has been coming to Opening Day since 1988.
“If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be here today,” Matt Blasch, 53, said of his dad. “We miss him dearly.”
On her walk into Comerica Park, Welch, 64, of Sterling Heights, said she has only missed
two Opening Day games since 1964, when she was in first grade. She remembers a time when her parents allowed her to take the bus from Six Mile Road and Southfield Freeway down to Tigers Stadium to go to a game.
A former season ticket holder, Welch is excited about the team’s potential this year, especially after the Opening Day win.
"I'm feeling it in my bones," Welch said. "We're going to go a long way."
Eric Guzmán covers youth sports culture at the Free Press as a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313222-1850. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @EricGuzman90