Detroit Tigers 2024 Opening Day & home opener: Tickets, start times, who's pitching, more

Detroit Free Press

Spring, at least in baseball terms, is almost over.

Baseball's Opening Day is less than two weeks away. The Detroit Tigers begin their 162-game summer marathon on March 28 against the Chicago White Sox, with the home opener taking place April 5 against the Oakland Athletics.

The Tigers are coming off a 78-84 campaign in 2023, finishing in second place in the AL Central nine games behind the Minnesota Twins. There is excitement surrounding the 2024 squad filled with young batters, a pitching staff combining young and veteran talents and a stable of arms in the bullpen.

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Here is the information about the Tigers' Opening Day and home opener to prepare you for the start of baseball season in Detroit.

When is Opening Day and who starts?

The Tigers officially begin their season on March 28 on the road against the Chicago White Sox. The three-game road series begins on March 28 and continues on March 30-31. First pitch on Opening Day is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. EST.

Tarik Skubal was named the Opening Day starter for the first time in his career by manager A.J. Hinch during spring training. The 27-year-old left-hander leads the Tigers' rotation coming off an impressive end to 2023 where he posted a 2.80 ERA with 14 walks and 102 strikeouts across 80⅓ innings in 15 starts after returning from flexor tendon surgery in July. It will be the first time since 2021 that Eduardo Rodriguez, who signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the offseason, will not be the Opening Day starter for Detroit.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal throws the first pitch during game action between the Detroit Tigers and the Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday, August 5, 2023.

The White Sox's Opening Day starter is up in the air. Chicago originally named Dylan Cease as the Opening Day starter before sending him off in a trade with the San Diego Padres during Spring Training. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Erick Fedde is the leading candidate, but manager Pedro Grifol is still figuring out the rotation.

It is the second straight year the Tigers will begin the season on the road after starting in Tampa Bay against the Rays in 2023. After the Chicago series, the Tigers will travel to play the New York Mets in a three-game series before the home opener.

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When is the Tigers' home opener and who starts?

The Tigers will start their campaign at Comerica Park on April 5 with a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.

It is the only home series in the first two weeks for the Tigers, who start with eight of their first 11 games on the road.

Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal pitches during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, March 4, 2024.

The normal Opening Day festivities will take place around the stadium and it will be the fans' first chance to see the upgrades made around the ballpark. The Tigers installed a new video board in left field, increasing its size by over 9,000 square feet, to give Detroit the second-biggest video board in the MLB, along with upgraded sound systems and televisions in the concourse.

It is unclear as of now who will be on the mound for the Tigers or Athletics for the home opener. The Tigers have only made one commitment in the rotation with Skubal at the top, and the order of the rest is still unknown.

Other details like who will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch have yet to be announced.

Opening Day and home opener tickets

From left, Detroit Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera, former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidström, former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, former Detroit Pistons player Ben Wallace throw the ceremonial first pitch before a game against Boston Red Sox during Detroit Tigers' home opening day of the 2023 season at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, April 6, 2023.

If you want to watch the Tigers' start of the season in person, you might want to get a jump on purchasing a ticket, especially if you want to be at Comerica Park on April 5.

The Tigers announced Thursday that just standing-room-only tickets are available to be purchased for the home opener but said there are "plenty" of seats remaining for the other two games against the Athletics. The standing-room-only tickets currently cost $99 on the Tigers' ticket website. On secondary ticket-reselling websites like SeatGeek and StubHub, home opener tickets start just under $100 and prices are listed as high as $450.

Ticket prices for Opening Day in Chicago are lower with more seats available. Through the White Sox's ticket website, prices start at $26 in the upper decks and $70 for a seat in the 100s section, showing tickets available in nearly every section of Guaranteed Rate Field. On the secondary ticket websites, the prices are similar to the tickets through the team with options under $100 in the 100s sections.

Tigers' recent Opening Day history

Even though the team has struggled in recent years, the Tigers boast a 3-2 record in the last five Opening Day games, including a 2-1 record under Hinch.

Last season, the Tigers were blanked by the Rays in a 4-0 loss before getting swept to start the year 0-3. In Hinch's first two seasons, the Tigers won on Opening Day over division rivals by one run each year, beating the White Sox 5-4 in 2022 and the Cleveland Guardians 3-2 in 2021.

Tony Rinna of Southgate and his wife Pam Rinna of Southgate wear their tiger face paint for their 14th time during the Detroit Tigers Opening Day against the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park in Detroit on Thursday, April 6, 2023.

Under former manager Ron Gardenhire, the Tigers lost the delayed 2020 Opening Day, which occurred in late July due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 7-1 to the Cincinnati Reds. In 2019, the Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-0, on the road.

Three of the last five Opening Days were on the road (2019, 2020, 2023) and two were at home (2021, 2022). In the seasons where the Tigers started on the road, they won the 2019 home opener against the Kansas City Royals, 5-4, lost to the Royals, 14-6, in 2020 and lost to the Red Sox, 6-3, last season.