Detroit — When the moment came, it seemed to come out of nowhere, out of the gloom. The truth is, it came from everywhere, from places and people we hadn’t seen before.
On the final pitch of Opening Day, the Tigers’ new prized shortstop hit the ball to the fence in right field, where it caromed for a tantalizing second — Off the glove? Off the wall? — and ultimately off the charts. Javy Báez drilled the winning hit in the ninth inning of his Tigers debut Friday, but the takeaway was that the clutch plays kept coming. When it was over, the Tigers had a stirring 5-4 victory over the White Sox and a sold-out Comerica Park had its first madhouse party of the year.
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It was essentially the first in years since the pandemic mostly silenced ballparks. I can say with relative certainty, it won’t be the last.
The Tigers entered this season with more flash and (possible) fortune than they have in years. Inning by inning, it simmered, as the White Sox built a 3-0 lead behind ace Lucas Giolito as the clouds hovered and the rain drizzled. If you want to pinpoint the exact moment baseball electricity returned to Detroit, it came in the eighth. With two outs and the bases loaded, Miguel Cabrera slapped a two-run single to tie it 3-3 and the crowd erupted. From there, the drama twisted madly.
At the base level, this merely means the Tigers are 1-0 with two more games this weekend against the division-favorite White Sox. At an emotional level, it seemed to mean more. The Tigers got a clutch hit from their legend (Cabrera). They got a stunning home run from a hometown guy making his Opening Day debut, Eric Haase. His towering shot to left with one out in the ninth tied the game 4-4.
Then came another newcomer, left fielder Austin Meadows, who hit the ball up the gap in right-center and churned his way to a triple. With two outs, up stepped Báez, the $140 million free agent signed for his flair with the glove and bat. AJ Hinch had suggested Báez calm down after he swung so hard in two earlier strikeouts he nearly jumped out of his bright orange shoes. This time, he hit a Javy Wall-Banger, a shot that White Sox right fielder AJ Pollock appeared to bobble and catch, except a quick replay showed the ball glanced off the wall.
Walk-off celebration
It was a walk-off, off-wall single, and the Tigers were dousing Báez in celebration even before the umpires confirmed it was over.
“I tell you, there’s gonna be many games like this,” said Báez, who was 2-for-5. “So many young guys here, we feel like we’re gonna get hot during the game, make adjustments, and things like this are going to happen.”
OK, but like this? With a crowd of 43,480 welcoming the faces, new and old, with standing ovations, raucous cheers and the occasional “Javy! Javy!” chant?
Meadows, acquired from Tampa Bay a week ago, could scarcely describe the difference between playing in the Rays’ indoor Tropicana Field and wide-open, uncorked Comerica Park.
“It was awesome. I couldn’t ask for more,” said Meadows, who drew three walks. “I heard a little about what it was like here, but that was wild. That was something special.”
Hinch may have been amazed, but he wasn’t fazed. That’s not how the Tigers’ manager operates, and when asked if he was heartened by all the contributions from newcomers, he barely smiled.
“They’re all our guys, I don’t care where they come from,” Hinch said. “When you put this uniform on, there’s a great brand of baseball we’re playing. Doesn’t matter who it is, doesn’t matter who starts, doesn’t matter who gets the credit. We’re gonna need a lot of guys, not just the famous guys, not just the guys you expect.”
It began to work the final four months of last season, when the Tigers went 68-61 and finished 77-85. GM Al Avila, with the backing of owner Chris Ilitch, added $247 million in long-term salary, while promoting prized rookies Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene (out two months with a broken foot). The Tigers dramatically improved their defense with Báez, Meadows, Torkelson and catcher Tucker Barnhart.
The rest of the baseball world certainly noticed. Or, maybe not. The Tigers were pegged by many to finish around 78-84, a modest improvement. The lineup is expected to be productive, but because of the young starting rotation and questionable bullpen, I have them going 83-79.
Cautious approach
Hinch understands it all. If you’re giddy about Báez, who also made a couple of spectacular plays in the field, you have to be cautious about new starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, who struggled through four innings. If you’re wowed by Torkelson’s sterling glovework at first, you’ll note he was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. If you’re hoping the bullpen was bolstered, you have to be concerned about the injured guys, from Jose Cisnero to free-agent addition Andrew Chafin.
These are pieces in progress, and the shiniest new piece enjoys what he sees. Báez, 29, wore orange shoes and gloves and flashed confidence in the field and in the clubhouse.
“They’re kind of afraid to wear a little orange out there,” Baez joked about his teammates. “I’m not afraid. We have some swag.”
He followed with an example. A writer quizzed him about the White Sox, who are forecast to easily defend their AL Central title. Báez raised an eyebrow.
“It’s not gonna be easy, and I don’t know if they’re gonna win it,” Báez said. “Because we’re gonna give everything we have to beat them. It doesn’t matter who we play, they gotta play us. It doesn’t matter who’s pitching, they gotta pitch to us.”
Haase, 29, doesn’t count as a new guy, but he’s a local guy from Dearborn Divine Child who grew up a Tigers fan. He played in Cleveland a couple of seasons, joined the Tigers in 2020 and was a power revelation last year, slugging 22 home runs. As a backup catcher-outfielder, this was the first Opening Day of his major-league career.
He figured he had 15 family members and another 100 friends in attendance, and with all the dynamic plays, the energy in the ballpark was palpable.
“The Tigers, in general, have been waiting in the weeds, waiting for a time to strike,” Haase said. “With the moves we made, the Tigers are here to win. … Javy obviously has some flash to him. The coaching staff loves that, they encourage guys to be themselves. If you can help this team win, we don’t care what it looks like.”
No, it doesn’t have to end with a majestic home run soaring over the wall. It can end with a crazy bounce, a minute of confusion and then a slightly delayed celebration.
The Tigers believe they have more ways to win this year, adding defense and power to the mix. They have many, many more games to prove it. After an unbelievable Opening Day finish, fans are entitled to believe just about anything.
bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @bobwojnowski