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 Tuesday, April 11
Comerica opens in snow, freezing rain
 
SportsTicker

 DETROIT -- A little snow and freezing drizzle was not going to stand in the way of 88 years of baseball history.

After playing at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull avenues since 1912, the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday passed the torch from Tiger Stadium to Comerica Park, their new state-of-the-art downtown facility.

Comerica Park
A worker puts the finishing touches on Comerica Park for Tuesday's opener.

After about an inch of snow was cleared, 81-year-old Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell emceed a pregame ceremony that featured former Tiger greats George Kell and Al Kaline along with former manager Sparky Anderson, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer.

Also participating in the ceremony was 89-year-old Eldon Auker, a pitcher on the Tigers' first championship team in 1935. Auker and current Detroit catcher Brad Ausmus raised the team's flag that will fly during the first homestand at Comerica Park.

The Tigers' new ballpark features the largest electronic scoreboard in existence and favors lefthanded hitters with center field "only" 422 feet from home plate. That is 18 feet shorter than at Tiger Stadium, where many potential home runs went to die.

Comerica Park features an old style scoreboard for out-of-town scores and a pitch information board, which displays the speed of each offering. The facility is below street level and also will have a merry-go-round for fans.

Comerica Park is one of three new facilities to open this year, along with Enron Field in Houston and Pac Bell Park in San Francisco.

The snow that fell overnight stuck only to the tarpulin and members of the ground crew were able to remove it with water from hoses. The game began without any precipitation, though players wore skimasks to combat the 36-degree temperature and fans wore heavy overcoats more suitable for a Michigan-Ohio State football game.

Two nine-year-olds -- Maggie Dewalt of Hamtrack, Michigan and Jeff Barswell of Detroit -- were randomly picked out of the crowd to throw the first pitch.

Brian Moehler threw the real first pitch at Comerica Park at 1:18 p.m. ET, a called strike to Mark McLemore.

The Tigers played their final game at Tiger Stadium on September 27, defeating the Kansas City Royals, 8-2. Rob Fick hit the final home run at the cherished facility, a grand slam in the eighth inning.

Detroit finished its tenure at Tiger Stadium with a record of 3,764-3,090 and 19 ties, winning World Series titles in 1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984.

 


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