Detroit will still have Opening Day on Friday, April 8 when the Tigers host the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. Emphasis on the "day." The start time, however, has been pushed back two hours.
↵The Tigers' home opener is now scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET, instead of the usual 1:05 p.m. start. Why the change? The Tigers play a night game in Baltimore, and the team didn't want that day-game-after-a-night-game turnaround for Opening Day in Detroit.
↵↵↵↵"We want to give the team more time to be ready to go," said Ron Colangelo, vice president of communications. "We want to give them the best opportunity to get some rest."
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Moving the start time to 7:05 p.m. was not an option, however. It's called Opening Day for a reason, and the Tigers didn't want to mess with that tradition.
↵So two more hours to tailgate and enjoy the Opening Day festivities. Or maybe you can go into work early that day, instead of calling in sick. But come on - of course you're taking the day off.