DETROIT (WXYZ) — The day has arrived! The Tigers Comerica Park home opening day 2023. With it, the excitement, hope, and a vibrant packed downtown Detroit.
Some younger baseball fans like Jake Johnson made their first opening-day pilgrimage to the ballpark.
WXYZ’s Brian Abel asked, “Buddy, how excited are you?”
“Really excited!” said Jake Johnson.
“What are you looking forward to the most?” asked Abel.
“The Tigers winning the Red Sox, winning against the Red Sox,” said Jake.
Jake's wish may be bad news for that other team. But good news for him today!
“You’re out of school today so good excuse, huh?” said Abel.
“Yeah, I skipped school,” said Jake.
There may be more school skipping in the future for Jake. His mom is telling us this Christmas present for Jake is the start of a new yearly tradition
“I think we will, and we’ll bring the little brother next year. He’ll be old enough to come too,” said Alecia Johnson.
I met so many more families just like Jake and his mom that are starting that new tradition, coming from all over the state and beyond for their first trip here.
As you may be able to see from our spot at the Union Assembly, today is awfully good for businesses too, some getting their first taste of opening day.
It was a sea of Detroit Tigers fans filling downtown Detroit. The foot traffic is a major league opportunity for area businesses like Frita Banditos.
“We have all of the different interpretations like fish, black bean, beef. It’s a really fun, hip environment,” said PJ Johnson, Frita Banditos manager.
“Sounds terrible, all of it,” Abel jokes.
It is the opposite of terrible, word is it is delicious.
“Alright with your mouth full tell us about that first bite?” asked Abel.
“It was pretty good,” said a customer.
Frita thrives on opening day, it makes the whole year. But something else is making the day a home run.
“So obviously the cash flow is good, but how about the energy of the fans that are in here that are excited for opening day?” asked Abel.
“The energy is really good. You know opening day is a big party, so we feed off that energy, it's like our vibe too.
Across the District Detroit alley is a newcomer, Sahara Restaurant and Grill.
“Today is our first day. We’re doing kind of a soft opening on a very busy day,” said Zeana Attisha, owner of Sahara.
From the looks of it, Tigers' faithful made their opening day a tremendous success.
“This is just great. I grew up, was born in Detroit and I’m very excited to be down here. I’ve seen these days and I’m glad that we have a business down here to be a part of it,” said Attisha.
