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Five Best Moments at Comerica Park (VIDEOS)

By Matt Pelc |
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Mar 31, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; General view during the national anthem before an opening day baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

For those of us who attended our first baseball game at the hallowed corner of Michigan and Trumbull, there is no substitute for Tiger Stadium.

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Nonetheless, for a newer generation of fans, Comerica Park is the only home they remember for their favorite team and to them there is no substitute.

The COPA eventually grew on me when they moved in the fences and made it a little more colorful and eye-pleasing to watch 81 games a year in person or on TV. The franchise has also adapted to the park, molding their clubs in the Comerica Park-era to be pitcher-oriented and away from the sluggers that teed off at Tiger Stadium.

In recent years it has paid off and a true home field advantage has been established. From 2009-2013, the Tigers won more than 50 games at Comerica Park. Last season an uncharacteristic slow home start snapped that streak but they finished strong with 45 wins. They haven’t had a losing season at home since 2008.

There have been some great moments at Comerica Park with postseason games four straight years, meaningful accomplishments and special events. The park has hosted two World Series in its first 13 years of existence whereas Tiger Stadium hosted two World Series in the stadium’s final 31 years.

So without further ado, let’s take the slideshow trip through the top five moments in Comerica Park’s history.

#5: June 12, 2007: Verlander throws first Tigers’ no-hitter since 1984 and first in Detroit since 1952

Coming off a Rookie of the Year season which saw Justin Verlander win 17 games and have the honor of starting Game 1 of the 2006 World Series, the 23-year old was firing on all cylinders again in early 2007.

Verlander was quickly getting the moniker of “Must See JV” because he blew batters away with fastballs exceeding 100 MPH with a fiery and competitive personality while on the mound.

The Tigers’ former American League East rival Milwaukee Brewers were in town for an early week interleague matchup and Verlander was simply lights out and stymied batters all night long.

Verlander faced 31 Milwaukee batters, walking four, striking out 12. Most of the outs were of routine nature except for an pair of outs made by backup shortstop Neifi Perez who saved an apparent single up the middle and turned it into an 8th inning-ending double play.

More than 33,000 fans witnessed something that had not happened to a Tigers pitcher in Detroit in more than half century. The stadium was buzzing as Verlander finished off his first of two no-nos.

#4: October 8, 2013: Tigers avoid elimination in ALDS

The Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics have built up a nice rivalry in recent years and have had some incredible postseason tilts in back-to-back years. There was the Don Kelly walk-off sac fly in 2012 in a back-and-forth contest that featured a dropped out by Coco Crisp. There was the Jose Valverde blown save later in that series that robbed the Tigers of advancing in Game 4 and of course the pair of Game 5 masterful performances by Justin Verlander in enemy territory.

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But perhaps the best game with the most drama was the Game 4 of the 2013 ALDS in Detroit.

It looked as if the Athletics finally had the Tigers’ number. After losing two series in which they held the home field advantage (2006, 2012), the A’s beat up Anibal Sanchez in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead and could knock out Detroit in Game 4. They got off to a quick 3-0 lead but the Tigers tied it with three of their own in the fifth inning.

Oakland took the lead again in the seventh, but Detroit answered with two more in the bottom of that inning to take the lead, including a Victor Martinez “fan-aided” homer to tie it.

Game 1 starter Max Scherzer had entered the game in relief and allowed the go-ahead run in the seventh, but now had a 5-4 lead in the 8th. He immediately found trouble, loading the bases with no outs. Running the count to 3-1, Max calmly fanned Josh Reddick with a low and in breaking ball, struck out Stephen Vogt, and after some tense moments (a barely foul ball, a full count) a hard hit ball off the bat of pinch hitter Alberto Callaspo landed harmlessly in Austin Jackson’s glove for out number three.

Max Scherzer may not be many Tigers’ fans best pal right now, but this is one indelible image he left us with.

The Tigers added three runs and Valverde tried to blow another one, but the Tigers held on and won Game 5 again in Oakland.

#3: October 7, 2006: Tigers win first playoff series since 1984

The year 2006 was magical for fans who had suffered through years of futility and 119 losses just three seasons earlier. New manager Jim Leyland took the reigns of a young Tigers’ team who seemed to have the looks of being better but had the misfortune of playing in a division with the reining World Series champion Chicago White Sox.

The Tigers overtook the White Sox in July and seemed on their way to their first ever AL Central title, but utterly collapsed after clinching their first playoff spot in 19 years in Kansas City one week before the end of the regular season. Those last-place Royals swept the Tigers at Comerica Park and dropped them to a wild-card.

Many fans wrote them off. They had peaked too early. They had also seemingly made their road through the AL playoffs tougher by getting the New York Yankees in the first round. Great year, Tigers. Maybe next year.

Not so fast.

The Yankees looked unstoppable and were absolutely loaded with superstars. The Tigers predictably lost the franchise’s first playoff game since 1987 in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium. But Verlander and Joel Zumaya kept New York’s bats in check in Game 2 to squeak out a 4-3 win and come back to Detroit with a split.

All the Tigers had to do was hold serve at home and they’d win the series. In the third game, Kenny Rogers absolutely dominated the Yankees and the energy of the first home playoff game in Detroit in nearly 20 years helped propel the Tigers to a blowout, 6-0 shutout.

Game 4 was another laugher as the Tigers piled up a big lead 8-0 before coasting to an 8-3 victory. The celebration was something special. The players stayed on the field and saluted the long-suffering fans, spraying champagne, partying and slapping high fives. It was a release for players and fans that the Detroit Tigers franchise was back.

#2: September 16, 2009: Ernie Harwell bids a final goodbye to Tigers fans

For many generations of fans, there was only one voice of the Detroit Tigers and that was Ernie Harwell. Ernie was a veteran when he came to the Tigers in 1960, coaxed to come to Detroit by fellow legendary broadcaster (and player) George Kell. He stayed on with franchise until 1991 when he was unceremoniously dumped by Tigers’ President Bo Schembechler.

It is hard to remember just how much a legend like Bo, football coach at Michigan for so many years, was hated in the State of Michigan after that move. He is beloved once again and most forget this sidestep in his career. Bo thought Ernie was “boring” and wanted more youthful voices for games on the radio. He must have underestimated his beloved status over that of Harwell.

He spent the 1992 season calling games for national broadcasts and some select California Angels’ games. In 1993, after Mike Ilitch purchased the team, Ernie was back in Detroit to call three innings on radio with Rick Rizzs and Bob Rathbun. The following year, PASS made him their primary cable play-by-play voice. In 1999 he moved back to the radio booth and stayed there through the 2002 season before retiring.

Ernie was an ambassador to the game not only in Detroit but throughout baseball. He wrote books, made speeches and promoted the game. He was as much of a Detroit Tigers legend as Cobb, Kaline and Trammell.

In 2009, Ernie was diagnosed with incurable cancer and would live just a few more months. Shortly after the announcement, Harwell addressed a capacity crowd at Comerica Park as the Tigers and their opponents for the evening, the Royals, stood on the first step of the dugout to listen to the iconic voice of the game one last time.

#1 October 14, 2006: Magglio clinches the 2006 AL Pennant walk-0ff style

The Detroit Tigers continued their improbable march through the 2006 postseason. After losing Game 1, in the ALDS the Tigers steamrolled the Yankees and set their sights on the favored Oakland Athletics in the ALCS. The Tigers stunned the A’s by taking the first two games in Oakland and easily beat them in Game 3 with yet another marvelous pitching performance from Kenny Rogers.

The Tigers would have to completely collapse to miss the World Series, but it looked like Game 4 wouldn’t be their day, falling behind the A’s 3-0 in the fourth inning. They chipped away at the lead, scoring two runs in the fifth and tying it in the sixth.

With the score tied at 3, there was high drama in the eighth inning when Jason Grilli got into trouble, loading the bases with two outs. Wil Ledezma came on in relief and got the final out.

The teams held firm through bottom eight and top nine, until the Tigers went to work with two out. Craig Monroe singled to right, Placido Polanco singled, moving Monroe to second. Magglio Ordonez stepped to the plate.

Though the Tigers faded out in five games in the World Series, this game and homer will not be soon forgotten.

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