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DETROIT TIGERS: Comerica Park
Comerica Park is probably not on the front of the HOK Sports brochure. HOK has been at the forefront of the recent ballpark explosion that began with Oriole Park at Camden Yards. They were also the architects for Comerica Park, which opened in 2000.
But for whatever reason, Comerica Park hasn’t connected with Detroit Tigers fans the same way new parks have in other cities. Of course, the stadium had a steep challenge: it was replacing Tiger Stadium, the oldest park in the major leagues, and one many fans felt was still viable. Comerica Park has all the luxurious touches Tiger Stadium was lacking but is perhaps missing some of the sense of history the old park had. When the last game was played at Tiger Stadium on Sept. 27, 1999, fans unfurled a banner that read, “Today, there is crying in baseball. Goodbye old friend.” So far, the new friend hasn’t earned a similar place in the hearts of fans.
But Comerica Park is trying. The main scoreboard is larger than any other facility in existence, a whopping 180 feet wide. Center field features giant water works (if that sounds familiar, it’s because it was borrowed from Kauffman Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Royals), and there’s a merry-go-round in the middle of the park’s food court. The feature that drew the most attention upon the park’s opening is a full-fledged Ferris wheel, which rises 50 feet high and features baseball-themed cars.
Fans buying Tigers tickets had to struggle to see runs in the early years of Comerica Park. The dimensions were monstrous, so the team owners made some concessions after the 2003 season. A closer left field fence was added, decreasing the distance needed to drive one out of Comerica Park. It also eliminated one of the more unique aspects of the park-the center field flag pole had been in play, just like at Tiger Stadium, until the fence was shortened. The changes also increased the stadium’s capacity, as 950 bleacher seats replaced the old bullpens in right field before the 2005 season. The new bullpens are located in the gap between the old and new left field fences.
Capacity: 40,950
Year Built: 2000
2004 attendance: 23,962 per game; 1,917,004 total
Dimensions: 345 to left, 370 to left-center, 420 to center, 365 to right-center, 330 to right
Hotels Nearby: Ramada Inn Downtown Detroit, Holiday Inn & Suites Express Detroit, Atheneum Suites Hotel, Viking Motel, Marriott Courtyard Detroit Downtown
Thrill of victory: There haven’t been many victories since the Tigers opened Comerica Park with a 5-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on April 11, 2000. That’s made many new fans forget that for a while, Tiger tickets were tough to find and World Series tickets were a part of the city’s fabric-especially in 1984, when the Tigers rolled to a World Series championship.
Agony of defeat: The biggest problem with Detroit’s new park probably isn’t Comerica Park seating or the fact that it isn’t Tiger Stadium. It’s that the Tigers simply haven’t been very good since moving into their shiny new digs. That seems to have answered the question asked by teams searching for new parks: is it a new stadium or a winning team that draws fans? Based on Detroit’s attendance, it appears to be the latter.
Tigers Ticket Tips: Comerica Park seating is extremely varied, and fans buying Tigers tickets have a wide array of options. Perhaps the most unique feature is the Tiger Den (which also happens to be the most expensive seating option), which includes wider seats and wider aisles. The new outfield bleachers are a bargain at just $8 per ticket. Any seats between the bases have a terrific view of downtown Detroit beyond the outfield fences. Longtime Tigers fans will complain about the upper deck, which suffers in comparison to the intimate positioning of the Tiger Stadium upper deck. The Tigers, one of the most historic teams in the major leagues, have a raft of longtime rivals that include the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Chicago White Sox.