Recap
On April 11th a sold out crowd braved 34-degree temperatures to see the first game at Comerica Park. The Tigers would go on to win that game 5-2 over the Seattle Mariners. However, the Tigers would struggle early in their new stadium as they got used to the cavernous OF. One move that backfired right away was the acquisition of Juan Gonzales who never got used to playing in the pitcher friendly stadium and would walk away at season's end. To acquire Gonzales the Tigers dealt away 3 of their top prospects and would eventually be left with nothing to show. Despite the failure of Gonzales the Tigers would catch fire in the 2nd half to climb black into the race for the Wild Card thanks in part to Todd Jones who would take home the Fireman award with 42 saves. However, the Tigers would fade in September, and eventual finish with a disappointing 79-83 record.
