Tigers open 2021 season: Changing rules, protocols and new orange walls at Comerica Park

DETROIT -- For the first time in a long time there will be fans watching baseball today at Comerica Park.

How long? Oh, just a mere 554 days since a 10-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 26, 2019.

The Tigers’ 2019 season, one of the worst in modern baseball history, was limping to an end and the lineup was dotted with fill-in players who are no longer in the organization.

After an abbreviated 2020 season played in front of empty stadiums, the Detroit Tigers will return to play in front of fans -- just 8,200 of them -- on Thursday at 1:10 p.m. against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park.

It will be the first game for new manager A.J. Hinch and the start of what the Tigers hope will be brighter times.

The stadium will be literally brighter despite the expected game-time temperature of 32 degrees (wind chill of 22).

The portion of the outfield wall closest to the left field line and much of the left-field bullpen is now bright orange and adorned with Little Caesar’s signage. The company’s mascot -- Caesar (”Pizza! Pizza!”) -- is painted onto a platform above left-center. He’s wearing a glove that has a cornhole target in the middle. The details are still uncertain, but the Tigers promise that if a home run hits that target “every fan in attendance will receive prizes.”

In the stands, fans will be seated in socially distanced pods and capacity will be limited to roughly 20 percent at least through the end of April. Later in the summer, as vaccination becomes more widespread, the Tigers and other teams hope to get closer to full capacity.

Speaking of vaccinations, the Tigers hope to get much of their team and immediate support staff vaccinated by the time they leave Detroit for their first road trip on April 8.

MLB teams who reach an 85 percent vaccination threshold will get to enjoy less stringent COVID protocols, which provides an incentive for anyone wavering about getting the shot.

COVID is still an issue, of course. The Tigers will be without pitcher Spencer Turnbull and pitching coach Chris Fetter to start the season.

The Washington Nationals could be without five players on Opening Day, offering a reminder of what we learned last year: One positive test can have a trickle-down effect as close contacts undergo contact tracing.

The Tigers must make one transaction before the game to add left-handed pitcher Derek Holland to the roster. One reason they’re waiting until the last minute to do so is because the uncertainties of the COVID era make it wise to wait until all the testing is completed.

What about the game on the field?

Some, but not all, of the 2020 rule changes will be in effect this season.

If Thursday’s game goes into extra innings, each team will be allowed to place a runner on second base at the start of their half of the inning.

Doubleheaders will once again be two seven-inning games.

Teams can still carry a “taxi squad” on the road to ease with last-minute substitutions.

But the roster size is down to 26 players (it was 30 at the start of last season) and there’s no DH in the national league. The expanded playoffs that gave even the Tigers a fighting chance in the shortened 2020 season are no longer in the picture.

Those low expectations, to the extent he’s even aware of them, don’t bother Hinch.

He said his goal is just to win Thursday, which will be tough enough against defending American League Cy Young winner Shane Bieber (8-1, 1.63 ERA, 2.4 BB/9IP, 14.2 K/9IP in 2020). Left-hander Matthew Boyd will make his second consecutive Opening Day start for the Tigers.

“At least internally we have a lot of excitement for for this club and where we’re at,” said Hinch. “I’m just proud of the work that we did for the last six weeks -- some of it being baseball, some of it being just culture and the chemistry behind the scenes, getting to know everybody and making us feel like a team.”