Detroit Tigers fans get pictures with tiger statue at Comerica Park
Detroit Tigers fans get their picture taken with the tiger statue outside Comerica Park on April 3, 2026 for Opening Day.
It was the perfect ending to a perfect day in Comerica Park.
Detroit Tigers reliever Tyler Holton was on the mound, pitching the ninth inning. Two outs. Everybody standing in the bright sunshine.
And Detroit came alive.
“The buzz, the energy, it’s contagious,” Holton said.
He got Victor Scott II to ground out, and the Tigers started celebrating a 4-0 Opening Day win against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, April 3. The Tigers lined up and started doing high-fives, which seemed so fitting. This was a complete team win.
“It reminded me of a playoff atmosphere, packed stadium and everyone on their feet,” Holton said. “Pretty special.”
Yes, there were so many special parts of this day.
Like left-hander Framber Valdez, the Tigers’ massive free-agent signing (officially a two-year deal worth $65.7 million, plus some options); he threw six scoreless innings.
“I think it’s the best home opener I’ve ever had,” Valdez said through Tigers interpreter Carlos Guillen. “It’s my first team that I signed as a free agent, my first big [contract].”
And he instantly endeared himself to the fans in Comerica Park.
“The love they gave me, I was able to perform well for my teammates, for the city that gave me so much love, and it is very important,” he said.
Dillon Dingler powers win
Several hours before the game, Justin Verlander’s alarm was going off in his locker in the clubhouse.
But he wasn’t around.
So, catcher Dillon Dingler calmly walked over to it, found the phone and turned it off.
Yes, Dingler has a way of helping his teammates.
Whether it’s doing things behind the scenes, or doing huge things on the field, like jacking a two-run homer – his second of the season.
“Obviously, there’s still a little bit of nerves, even though it was our third series of the season,” Dingler said. “But it was awesome. It was great atmosphere.”
Dingler seems so old now, so mature. But a year ago at this time, he was still the backup. Now, he has a Gold Glove Award, and his offense just seems to get better and better.
“He’s an overall really good hitter,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “As the confidence grows and he moves up in the order a little bit, you can see him impact the game.”
Dingler – and his continued development – is one of several reasons why this team has such high expectations.
Amazing moments everywhere
After the game, Hinch was happy with darn near everything: the pitching, the defense and how his hitters were selecting better pitches at which to swing.
“That was pretty awesome,” Hinch said. “There’s such a good feel in this ballpark when our fans are into it. I’m glad a lot of our new guys got to feel it. We came out with a really good game, and I was just really proud of our group after a long trip, including the spring and feeling the vibe in this city and being able to produce a good win.”
There were so many cool moments on this Opening Day.
Like the scene outside Comerica Park. You might think of Opening Day as being old-fashioned with bunting and pageantry. But this was like a dance party at a club. Music was thumping and a DJ was screaming into a mic: “Detroit – the best team in baseball! Scream!”
OK. Detroit’s position as the best team could be debated at that moment – especially for a squad that came into this game riding a four-game losing streak –but the sentiment matched the vibe.
It was a massive party.
And inside the park, it was just freakin’ cool.
Like the moment the players were being introduced and the scoreboard flashed an image of two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal standing next to Tigers legend Justin Verlander.
The crowd started roaring – first for Skubal and then for Verlander.
Or the moment helicopters buzzed over the stadium.
Or the moment former Tiger Brandon Inge threw out the first pitch to Verlander, his old teammate.
“JV was amazing – gave me a good high target,” Inge said on the Tigers broadcast. “I powered through it with my shoulder needing surgery.”
Through a rookie’s eyes
Then, there was Kevin McGonigle, the rookie infielder who has done nothing but impress.
Early Friday morning, McGonigle got in his car, drove to Comerica Park and did a few laps around it on Friday morning.
“Because I had no clue where to go, but I ended up finding the parking lot,” he said.
He walked into the Tigers clubhouse for the first time and was amazed.
“This place is unbelievable,” he said. “And Parker [Meadows] is like, ‘Get used to it.’”
At that moment, all of McGonigle’s stuff was still in his car. He had yet to move into a place.
“That’s the craziest atmosphere I played in front of, just happy we got the win,” he said.
Then, he went out and played outstanding defense at third and went 1-for-4.
“This city is going to fall in love with this kid,” Hinch said. “We just got to let him play, and we got to let him learn, and we got to let him fail a little bit, because he’s going to come out of it and continue to succeed and help this team win every day. He was really pumped today.”
Actually, everybody was pretty pumped on this day.
It was filled with fireworks. Flags. Helicopters. Dancing. Tailgating. High-fives. Home debuts. Great pitching. Some solid fielding. Improved offense. And a standing ovation at the end.
All in all, a perfect day at the park.
Contact Jeff Seidel: [email protected]. Follow him on X @seideljeff
