It is often said that seeing a robin after a chilly winter is the first sign of spring. However, for generations of Detroit baseball fans, it’s also catching a glimpse of the Tiger players perched on the top dugout step as they get ready to run onto the diamond at the home opener.
In some circles, opening day in Detroit is an unofficial state holiday when school is skipped and vacation or “sick” days are taken so that everyone can cheer on the Tigers. In anticipation of the upcoming summer season, hope springs eternal that the Bengals will capture another championship.
When the Tigers face the Chicago White Sox on April 4, it will mark the 125th home opener since the team became a major league franchise as a charter member of the American League in 1901.
At the April 25 home opener that year, the Tigers were behind 13-4 to the Milwaukee Brewers in the bottom of the ninth inning but then miraculously scored 10 runs to win the game. It still stands as the greatest ninth-inning comeback in baseball history.
In this photo taken on opening day, April 15, 1972, at Tiger Stadium, seen ready to take the field in unison are (from left to right) Bill Freehan, Al Kaline, Norm Cash, Aurelio Rodríguez, Ed Brinkman, Willie Horton, Dick McAuliffe, and Jim Northrup. The Tigers defeated the Red Sox 3-2 thanks to a complete-game six-hitter thrown by Mickey Lolich. That year, they edged Boston by a half-game to win the division but lost the American League pennant to the Oakland Athletics in the playoffs.
Detroit has won 70 of its 124 home openers since 1901, lost 53, and tied in one game. That tie was back in 1904 before ballparks had lights. The game was called after 12 innings due to darkness.
This story originally appeared in the April 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our digital edition will be available on April 7. Plus, find even more The Way It Was articles at hourdetroit.com.
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