The Detroit Tigers are back at Comerica Park and it was an amazing day of baseball. The Tigers won their home opener in 2026 by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 4–0. It was an excellent pitching performance from starting pitcher Framber Valdez.
Detroit opened the scoring with a 433-foot two-run home run by starting catcher Dillon Dingler in the fourth inning. Through seven games, Dingler is the only Detroit hitter with a home run, marking his second of the 2026 MLB season. Then, Riley Green hit an RBI-single in the fifth inning, followed by another single by Javier Báez in the sixth inning.
After being defeated by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, the Tigers’ offense bounced back in their home opener at Comerica Park. There were other opportunities for runs, as Kevin McGonigle and Kerry Carpenter hit two balls deep into the outfield during the first inning.
Meanwhile, Valdez went scoreless six with three hits, two walks and five strikeouts. The 32-year-old starter became the first pitcher since Spencer Turnbull in 2019 to throw a quality start in a home opener. Valdez is the first pitcher since Jordan Zimmerman in 2016 to do so in both the home opener and his home debut for the Tigers.
There were other milestones, such as Green’s 500th career MLB hit, becoming the 20th player in franchise history to accomplish the feat before age 26. It was a much-needed change of pace for the Tigers after being defeated by the Diamondbacks.
In fact, the Tigers had the biggest crown for a home opener at Comerica Park since 2017. Fans were given a picture-perfect day en route to their first home win of 2026.
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