Comerica Park facts for kids
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Comerica Park in 2007
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 Comerica Park
Location in Wayne County, Michigan
Comerica Park
Location in Michigan
Comerica Park
Location in the United States
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| Address | 2100 Woodward Avenue Detroit, Michigan U.S. |
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| Coordinates | 42°20′21″N 83°2′55″W / 42.33917°N 83.04861°W |
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| Owner | Detroit-Wayne County Stadium Authority |
| Operator | 313 Presents |
| Capacity |
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| Record attendance | Baseball: 45,280 (July 26, 2008 against Chicago White Sox) Concert: 45,000 (August 16, 2023) Pink's Summer Carnival |
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| Surface | Kentucky Bluegrass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | October 29, 1997 |
| Opened | April 11, 2000 |
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| Architect |
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| Project manager | International Facilities Group, LLC. |
| Structural engineer | Bliss & Nyitray, Inc. |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers Inc. |
| General contractor | Hunt-Turner-White |
| Tenants | |
| Detroit Tigers (MLB) (2000–present) | |
Comerica Park is a cool baseball stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, in the United States. It has been the home field for the Detroit Tigers baseball team since it opened in the year 2000. This stadium was built in a "retro-classic" style, which means it looks like older ballparks but has modern features. Today, it can hold about 41,083 fans.
Contents
History of Comerica Park
Building the Ballpark
Before Comerica Park, the Detroit Tigers played at Tiger Stadium for 88 seasons. That stadium was very old by the 1990s. So, plans were made to build a brand new, modern home for the team.
Construction for Comerica Park began on October 29, 1997. It was part of a big plan to make downtown Detroit even better. The stadium was built next to Ford Field, which is where the Detroit Lions football team plays. When it first opened, the scoreboard at Comerica Park was the largest in all of Major League Baseball! The very first game was played on April 11, 2000.
First Game Day Fun
The first game at Comerica Park was on a chilly, snowy Tuesday, April 11, 2000. About 39,168 excited fans came to watch. The Detroit Tigers played against the Seattle Mariners and won with a score of 5–2. It was a great start for the new stadium!
Why "Comerica Park"?
The stadium is named Comerica Park because Comerica Bank made a deal in 1998 to pay for the naming rights. This means they paid money for the stadium to carry their name for many years. In 2018, they extended this agreement, so it will be called Comerica Park until at least 2034.
Cool Features of Comerica Park
Comerica Park has many exciting things to see and do. The main entrance is right across from the famous Fox Theatre.
Tiger Statues and Fun Lights
Outside the main entrance, there's a huge tiger statue that stands 15 feet tall! Inside the park, you'll find 8 more giant tiger statues. Two of them are even "prowling" on top of the scoreboard. These tigers are special: their eyes light up and you hear a tiger growl whenever the Tigers hit a home run or win a game! Along the outside walls, there are 33 tiger heads, each holding a lighted baseball in its mouth.
Honoring Baseball Legends
As you walk around the park, you'll see statues of many famous Tigers players. These are players whose jersey numbers have been retired, meaning no other player on the team will ever wear that number again. There's also a statue of Ty Cobb, a legendary player from long ago, even though he didn't have a number because players didn't wear them back then.
Unique Field Design
Comerica Park used to have a special dirt strip between home plate and the pitcher's mound. This was a unique feature, but it was removed before the 2025 season. Also, the area around home plate is shaped like home plate itself, not a regular circle.
Rides and Fun for Everyone
In one corner of the stadium, there's a Ferris wheel with twelve cars shaped like baseballs! In another corner, you can find a fun carousel. These rides are a big hit with younger fans.
Outfield Walls and Scoreboards
The flagpole in the outfield used to be part of the game, but now if a ball hits it, it's a home run! The right field area has a special picnic deck called the Comerica Landing. There's also an area of seats known as "Kaline's Corner," named after the Hall of Fame player Al Kaline.
The stadium has seen many scoreboard upgrades. A huge new video display was added in 2012, making it much easier to see replays and graphics. For the 2024 season, an even newer, massive videoboard was installed. It measures 15,688 square feet, making it the second largest in all of Major League Baseball!
The Chevrolet Fountain
Behind center field, there's a giant fountain. It's called the Chevrolet Fountain. For a while, it also showed signs for Chrysler and Ford to support Detroit's car industry. The fountain puts on a cool show when the Tigers hit a home run.
Friday Night Fireworks
If you go to a Friday evening game, especially after Memorial Day, you might get to see a fantastic fireworks show after the game!
Field Dimensions and Changes
Comerica Park was once known for being a tough park for hitters because the outfield was so big. Players even joked about it!
To make it a bit fairer for hitters, the team made some changes. Before the 2003 season, they moved the left-center field fence closer. Then, before the 2023 season, they moved the center field fence in by 10 feet. They also lowered the height of the fences in center and right field. These changes help make the game more exciting with more home runs!
Getting to the Park
It's easy to get to Comerica Park using public transportation. You can take the Detroit People Mover to the Grand Circus Park station or the QLine to Montcalm Street. There are also bus services from SMART and DDOT.
What Happens at Comerica Park?
Comerica Park is mostly famous for baseball, but it hosts other exciting events too!
Baseball Highlights
In 2005, Comerica Park hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. This is where the best players from different teams come together to play. During the Home Run Derby that year, Bobby Abreu hit a record-breaking 41 home runs!
The Tigers have played in the World Series at Comerica Park twice, in 2006 and 2012. Many famous baseball moments have happened here. In 2011, Jim Thome hit his 600th career home run. In 2022, Miguel Cabrera got his 3,000th hit, a huge milestone for any player.
Comerica Park has also seen two "no-hitters," which is when a pitcher (or pitchers) doesn't let the other team get any hits during an entire game. Justin Verlander threw one in 2007, and then in 2023, Matt Manning, Jason Foley, and Alex Lange combined to throw another one. There was also a very famous "near-perfect game" by Armando Galarraga in 2010, which was almost a perfect game!
Concerts and Music Events
Many famous music artists and bands have performed concerts at Comerica Park. It's a huge outdoor venue for big shows. For example, P!nk had the largest concert attendance ever at the park in August 2023, with 45,000 fans! Other big names like Dave Matthews Band, Eminem, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and Green Day have also played here.
Hockeytown Winter Festival
In December 2013, Comerica Park transformed into a winter wonderland for the Hockeytown Winter Festival. An outdoor ice rink was set up on the baseball field. People could go public skating and watch different hockey games, including youth teams and professional minor league teams.
Soccer Matches
Comerica Park has also hosted international soccer games. In 2017, two famous European teams, Roma from Italy and Paris Saint-Germain from France, played a match here. In 2023, Crystal Palace from England and Sevilla from Spain also played a friendly game at the park.
See also
In Spanish: Comerica Park para niños
