There’s no party quite like the Detroit Tigers opening day party, and Windsorites were in the mood to celebrate Friday after two long years away.
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Hordes of people packed downtown Detroit Friday morning in anticipation of the Detroit Tigers home opener at Comerica Park. The Tigers faced off against the Chicago White Sox beginning at 1:10 pm — but as always, baseball was just part of the attraction.
“I’m not so much of a baseball fan,” said Windsorite Sarah Johnson, who made the trip over for the game with two friends. “To me sports are have fun and make a friend. It’s kind of a tradition, a bunch of us try to get over (for the game).
“They canceled (the home opener) a couple of times and we were pretty bummed about that, but glad to be here,” Johnson said.
For Erin Evon, Friday’s game marked her 10th home opener, and she had attended nine in a row up to 2019. Even more of a baseball fan, she said she was enjoying the pre-game fun but was also excited to see the game.
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Friday’s home opener marked the first large-scale home open event for the Tigers since 2019, after a cancellation at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and a scaled-down event rife with restrictions last year. This year also marked the first home opener in three years with Canadian fans from across the border in attendance.
With no pre-arrival testing requirement in place for Canadians, getting to Friday’s game and back was relatively hassle-free — though rules stipulate that anyone coming from the US must wear a mask for 14 days upon return to Canada.
The festivities felt like a return to normal, pre-pandemic times, many people said. Others said it was a tradition they’d missed over the last two years.
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“After so many yearsof not being able to come it’s so exciting to see everyone having fun, enjoying themselves, it’s nice being out again,” said Stacey Walsh, a Canadian living in Michigan attending the Tigers game.
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Tailgating started early Friday morning and continued up to and even past game time. As crowds queued up to enter Comerica Park, some people said they weren’t in a rush.
“It’s just such a great vibe,” said Rebecca Ross, who came from Windsor for the game. “I’m in no rush to get in there, I just want to enjoy everyone and everything.”
“It’s surreal, it feels like normal to be able to come over and just enjoy.”
Those great vibes and the thrill of home opening day may have brought the Tigers a little extra luck: The team won 5-4 over the White Sox Friday afternoon.
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