June 23, 2023
Comerica Park (Capacity: 41,083)
Detroit, MI
Detroit Tigers vs Minnesota Twins
Final Score: 1 – 4
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To wrap up our vacation in Michigan, we stopped for a few nights in Detroit to take in a couple of sporting events. The Motor City is located in Southeast Michigan along the Detroit River, which divides the U.S. and Canada, along with connecting the Great Lakes. The story of Detroit is often focused on the last 100 years. The first half featured wealth and success in the form of being the automotive industry’s world leader. The second half starting towards the 1970s began a sharp decline as foreign competition made a major dent in the local economy and the city spiraled into poverty and rapidly declining population, amongst other issues. While Detroit still has problems and a big number of abandoned buildings, downtown (and the beautiful architecture highlighted by art-deco skyscrapers) has many areas of resurgence. Population is 640,000 (27th in the U.S.) which is well less than half of it’s peak in the 1950s. The Detroit Tigers were founded in 1901 as original members of the American League. They have won the World Series four times and they’ve been there 11 times. Getting to the postseason has been a struggle as 2006 – 2014 is the only period of success for the team in the last 35 years. Great players include Ty Cobb, Hank Greenburg, Hal Newhouser, Al Kaline, Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, Cecil Fielder, Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera. The Tigers play in Comerica Park, an average modern park that replaced venerable Tiger Stadium in the year 2000.
Prestige Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Location
Even though saying “I’m going on vacation to Detroit” would be met with raised eyebrows in confusion, the city is growing as a regional travel destination. The Henry Ford in nearby Dearborn is the largest indoor-outdoor museum in the country and you can explore amazing collections in innovation and the automotive industry. The Motown Museum dives into the historic influence Detroit had on the music industry, while downtown features an impressive collection of plazas, statues and parks. Comerica Park (sitting next to Ford Field) is indeed downtown, just north of the architecturally striking skyscrapers and famous monuments. The nearby surroundings aren’t exactly bustling as blocked off Columbia Street between the Fox Theatre and Little Caesars Headquarters has some food and drink options. The best choices are Union Assembly (which we loved and had Detroit-style Pizza) and Tin Roof, which is by a different entrance. Otherwise, several restaurants can be found a longer walk away, especially in Greektown. There wasn’t any point during my walking around these areas of Downtown Detroit where I became concerned for my safety.
Location Ranking: 6.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
We ran into a lot of construction and subsequent traffic during our June travels through Michigan. The Detroit Metro area was no exception, yet when we drove into the city at 4 PM on a Friday, delays were quite minimal with just a few minutes holding us up at an exit ramp. Downtown is accessible via a multitude of highways and I-75’s Exit 50 is the simplest way to reach the ballpark and surrounding areas of parking. There are many lots and garages scattered about within walking distance, a necessity given that there is a much larger football stadium right next door. We went with the garage at Detroit City Club Apartments (there’s a big parking sign). It’s a 10-minute walk and there’s probably better options, but it worked for us. I found this one really easy to get to. For the exit, it was trickier to find my way back to I-75, while the positive was the congestion was minimal compared to other areas. In terms of public transportation, it is limited. There is at least a 6 mile streetcar loop that connects Downtown with Midtown and the North End.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Exterior
A mix of brick, glass, iron trussing and beige panels comprise the outer look. It’s a blend of features between outer buildings and seating bowl. Nothing really jumps out from a design standpoint from these, but they do blend with surroundings. One wow factor is the use of stone Tiger statues as there are plenty of them. The main Comerica entry has two on top of the buildings and one at ground level that is 15 feet high and really gives appreciation to the work done on it (expect this to be the main photo op in the park). There are also Tiger gargoyles lining the outer walls and their eating of a baseball is a nice touch. Both of the primary entrance areas have a fine little plaza to go through.
Exterior Ranking: 7 out of 10
Concourse
There is a little outdoor gap between the gates and the covered concourse on the first level. It’s hard to say if this had a carnival or circus feel, but I got that impression in a few spots. There is a carousel at the center of the Big Cat Court, which is surrounded by concession stands. Even though I’m not a fan of the Ferris Wheel they have, that plaza at least had a better look to it and there is a huge indoor beer hall in that space. Brick and dark green beams through much of the lower level have the typical look of ballparks from the era in which it was built. Space is decent and there is a field view throughout. The outfield is open, but rather blah. Once you go through the tunnel, you’ll see a better spot one level up as the Comerica Landing caters to those in their 20s and 30s that want a hangout instead of a ballgame. The view is pretty good at least behind the bar. Find the escalator near the Big Cat Court to get to the upper level concourse or traverse the ramps in the other areas of the ballpark. This upper concourse gets skinnier and it is still covered by the bowl above despite the sides being open. There’s enough room to maneuver, it’s just that there is no wide open spot and the concourse isn’t continuous. Halfway down the first base side, you have to go down a level as the ballpark breaks up a bit here. A plus is that there are a lot of public hangout spaces with private clubs disguised well.
Concourse Ranking: 3.5 out of 5
Food
Detroit is known for a “Coney”, which is a hot dog topped with beanless chili, diced white onions and yellow mustard. Local food fans will be happy to see that here as famed National Coney Island features their version along with things like a “Loose Burger” and a “Grilled Chicken Hani”. Sadly, you won’t get Detroit-Style Pizza in the ballpark as Little Caesars is the pizza provider (and their World Headquarters is across the street). The Big Cat Court will get you the most concentrated variety as you can find Shawarma, Street Tacos and Guernsey Premium Ice Cream. There has been a push this year to get more local flavor in the park. Maybe the kids were distracting me from spotting these areas, but they do apparently exist. The left side of the stadium features places like Green Dot Stables (sliders) and Bert’s (BBQ). Pop-up/Food Trucks occasionally will be near the main gate as well. Alcoholic drinks are widely available and from a beer perspective, expect a nice mix of national and local brands. Atwater Brewery even teamed up to make a “D Light” beer.
Food Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Interior
Detroit’s skyline is old-school impressive and Comerica Park takes advantage of that as the many art-deco skyscrapers that fill the city are in complete view beyond the outfield. They kept seating low in this area to maximize the view, including putting the scoreboard out of the way in left. As for the overall design, there’s nothing special or groundbreaking. There is a lower deck followed by a walkway and then a “Tigers Den” section with removable, cushioned brown chairs around the infield. These are reminiscent of box seats from a different era. I wasn’t a big fan of the 300-level because two luxury seating decks and a needless front section followed by a walkway pushes this level to be higher and further back. I don’t understand why so many places have these first 3-7 rows of seating, then a walkway, then the main upper deck. Why can’t the concourse just empty into the seating bowl and make things closer? This 300 level isn’t complete as further down the first base side, it’s a closer 200 level thanks to the presence of just one club tucked underneath. Green is an acceptable choice for seat color, yet disappointing given that a dark blue would have fit the team colors better. The chairs are comfortable and row spacing is adequate as chairs turn nicely towards the field when needed. Outside of the aforementioned distance, Upper Deck views are fine, just watch out in the first few rows as glass and railing obstructions get in the way. Down below, the pitch of each row is bad as it is very shallow. Protection from the elements is quite limited. As the sun is setting, the first base side is your best bet for extended shade.
Interior Ranking: 9 out of 14
Scoreboard
The scoreboard in left field has a lot of permanent ads on it, which takes away from focus on the center screen. That video board is fine enough in terms of size and there is a ton that goes on there during an at-bat, especially from the stats department with acronyms that I didn’t even know existed. There’s even a spot for the walk-up song that a player uses. At the top of the scoreboard is a large Tigers script and it has the ability to change colors, which is cool. Two Tiger statues are on the ends. Other score displays are quite limited, with only one other spot (home plate corner) where I saw it on a section of ribbon board.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
Baseball seems to have a deeper, more romantic love for a team than any other sport and often a broadcaster is at the center of that. Ernie Harwell is one of those people and there is a whole generation of Michiganers that will attest to that thanks to Harwell. Right in the front entrance is a stand-alone statue of the man who was the voice for so many. More statues are found in the outfield as the storied past players stand on top of an impressive granite pedestal, inscribed with descriptions. Other franchise Hall of Famers get their name and number on a nearby wall. Team-oriented displays are less impressive. despite efforts as there is a motor/gas station theme. Each stand in the concourse is by decade and there is a mish-mash of stuff and memorabilia on there. I found it hard to read and somewhat lacking depth. I didn’t see much in relation to championship honors either in the ballpark. A High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame is found on a wall in the concourse. Finally, the Tiger head statues all around are a great touch to add character to the park and it is impressive how many there are.
Displays Ranking: 4 out of 6
Cost
The Tigers utilize Dynamic Pricing so the ticket cost structure varies quite a bit. Our game was probably a middle tier event, a Friday Night in June against Minnesota and the non-premium seats ranged from $24 to $74. The secondary market started at $20. Parking is also variable as closest lots can cost $20 – $25 while further out lowers all the way down to $8. Concessions follow that trend: a Hot Dog goes for $6.29 and it is $12 for a beer, yet $4.29 for a pizza slice. The latest Fan Cost Index puts Detroit at #20 in the league, but it’s important to keep in mind that this is a recent losing franchise. I could see cost soaring to near the Top 10 in this market if they start consistently winning.
Cost Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Fan Support
The fan base that the Tigers draw from is not only Michigan, but also Northwest Ohio (Toledo) and Southwest Canada. Paid attendance was decent when the Tigers were playing well as their most recent successful stretch towards 2010 featured the team ranking no lower than 6th in attendance. Even during the recent, struggling years, Detroit still didn’t fall into the bottom half of the league at the gate. Our game was a bad judge because the weather was poor (cool and raining a few hours before first pitch). The day after, a Saturday game drew a crowd that filled more than half the house. Comparing all of the local teams, the Lions have the edge over the Tigers in terms of popularity and fandom.
Fan Support Ranking: 7 out of 8
Atmosphere
Again, it was a tough gauge given the circumstances of our game and a crowd of well less than 10,000 on hand. They were invested at least and during the one attempted rally, many got on their feet to try and spark something. There was also a pretty good cheer when the team scored a run. Playoff atmosphere is like most other parks in that it is really good. Not Top 5, but really good. Beyond centerfield is the “Liquid Fireworks” display which is an impressive fountain that goes off for things like home runs and team wins. It never was used during our game.
Atmosphere Ranking: 9.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
Tiger Stadium was the longtime home for the team and it was located in the Corktown neighborhood at the intersection of Michigan & Trumbull Avenue. An upper deck overhang, a roof over many seats and a flagpole in center were a few of the unique features……At Comerica Park, there is no kids playground! For most, no big deal, but if you are a parent of a little one (me), that’s not good…..One thing that I loved was how on the labels for the section number, they included which direction the seat numbers went. This is a huge help when going to your seat! Such a simple, yet novel idea to include that….The Tigers are the only team in MLB that has a strip of dirt from the pitchers mound to home plate…..The Fireworks display after our game was one of the most impressive we’ve seen as it felt like the 4th of July.
Game
The Tigers really stink this year. A pair of early home runs by Minnesota made a 3-0 lead feel insurmountable. There was a little chance in the Bottom of the 6th when the Tigers had the bases loaded down 4-1. But Miguel Cabrera feebly grounded into a double play. I know he’s an all-time great, but his play and demeanor on this day was like he didn’t care. The game finished 4-1 Twins.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
