Inside Comerica Park
Detroit Tigers fans have had both their celebrating and suffering come in bunches. Right now, they are very good, having made the playoffs in 2024 behind Tarik Skubal, who won the Cy Young and became the second Tiger to win the unofficial pitcher’s triple crown, leading the AL in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228). He’s dominating again in 2025, with his second all-star appearance and potentially his second straight Cy Young Award.
Before 2024, they went nine years without a playoff appearance. From 2011 through 2014, they won the AL Central each year. Before that….ugh….one playoff appearance in 2012, although it was a trip to the World Series against the San Francisco Giants, since 1987. You get my point. Six trips to the playoffs in 36 years, and four of those came in a row.
They are good now, so enjoy the vibe at the ballpark. History shows it may come in bunches, but when Skubal is your ace, you should always have a chance.
As you walk into Comerica Park you’ll see life-sized tigers clawing at you. It looks kind of scary but also kind of cool. There are nine of them around the ballpark spaced out at various entrances and on top the scoreboard in left field. You won’t see anything like this anywhere else.
In what may be the most unique thing about this place, there’s a merry-go round, a Ferris wheel and many other things in the Big Cat Court! There’s no shortage of food, drink or rides to be found there. Keep walking around and you’ll see the retired numbers along the brick wall in left-center. The videoboard is gigantic and has two huge tigers on each end. Renovations were made before 2025, which included removing the “keyhole” between the pitcher’s mound and home plate, the final one remaining in baseball. Many other upgrades took place as well, including the removal of the tunnel behind home plate as well in lieu of more luxury seating, which is very noticeable on TV. Plus, that tunnel sucked anyways! It was dark, long, spanned two floors and had concrete that hung so low at the top step that it needed padding.
Ford Field, which is home of the Detroit Lions, is a literal stone’s throw away from Comerica beyond the 3rd base entrance. There are bars and restaurants within walking distance of the ballpark, but they’re not immediately next to it, so plan to walk a short distance should you get there early enough.
Ernie Harwell left us in 2010, but his legacy lives on forever. He spent 42 years as the voice of the Tigers and will be the greatest voice they’ve ever had. His statue is along the concourse on the first base side and it’s worth making the trip to see. They’ve had some turnover in their announcers in recent years, but the broadcasts are one of the better ones you’ll watch on TV.
The statues are all lined up along the outfield just above the retired numbers, and worth checking out. Note that Ty Cobb does not have a number retired because he played in an era before numbers were commonly used.
The shooting fountains in the spacious centerfield are neat. The concourses are rife with artifacts of years past, plus they pay tribute to the all-time greats, such as Al Kaline with “Kaline’s Corner”. The sightlines are really good, and the team has been competitive! Not much more to ask for whether you’re a fan of the Tigers or their opponent….or if you’re just there to check out the park.
