DETROIT — New front office, new players, new ballpark dimensions, new bright LED lighting. Even the smell of fresh white paint in the sleek, refurbished clubhouse.
On Opening Day in Detroit, what’s old is new again. The hope is, the changes go deeper than cosmetic and symbolic. The hunt for hints of promise is what always brings the people back, and boy, were they back. On a crisp 54-degree day, they packed Comerica Park, a festive sellout crowd of 44,650. A few minutes before the first pitch, thousands of fans were still lined up to get in.
There’s plenty new to see with these Tigers, even as they give a nostalgic nod to all-time great Miguel Cabrera in his final season. They came home Thursday after a 2-4 road trip and were greeted how they always are on Detroit’s unofficial spring holiday. The crowd roared, especially when Cabrera lined an RBI single in the third inning. And then they settled in to watch the Red Sox outslug the Tigers, 6-3.
