Tigers v. Marlins | Opening Series Wrap Up | OPENING WEEK TAKEOVER

The season has begun. Emphatically. The first two games of the Tigers' 2016 campaign took place in Miami, Florida. Sure, there were no fears of being rained out or snowed out but, as all of us fans found out, we had a lot more things to be worried about. Each of these two games featured great starting pitching (on the Detroit side) followed by not-so-great bullpen work (again, mostly on the Detroit side). Read on for more specific details and reactions.

Game 001
First things first: the Opening Night experience. Baseball means so much to me that I had to request the night off of work to ensure that I could be sitting on my butt, at home, surrounded by good food and good vibes. This year, my mom, sister, and I decided to have a taco night, followed by two desserts that I picked after an extensive baking blog search: wild berry cheesecake bars and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Both of these recipes turned out really, really well (I was so surprised and proud) but, ultimately, I prefer the cookies. Check out this goodness:


It's important to note that these two teams are my two favorite teams - which should come as no surprise if you have been here for awhile. With this being the case, I was pretty conflicted over the course of this game. I, of course, want my teams to do well. When it comes down to an Opening Night showdown between these two teams, however, I have a particular allegiance to the Tigers. The back-and-forth emotions that I felt during this game started early.

i was like YESSSS YELIIII WAIT NO UPTON YES NICE CATCH 😐😐😐

— Allison ⚾ (@booksandbalks) April 5, 2016

Baseball teams weren't the only things causing me distress, however. No matter how delicious my tacos were, there is just something about this sport that causes the most traditional of cravings.

baseball makes me want a hotdog real bad

— Allison ⚾ (@booksandbalks) April 6, 2016

It was easy to show my home team pride for the first half of the game. Justin Verlander was dealing, allowing no hits and sparking an onslaught of "flirting with a no-hitter" tweets on Twitter. My team was back. They were killing it. But then, the Marlins decided to show up to the game. Once they started hitting and their passion started to break through, my allegiance was tested.

dee gordon BEEP BEEP COMIN THROUGH 🏃🏃🏃

— Allison ⚾ (@booksandbalks) April 6, 2016

Not only that, but I don't follow a lot of Marlins fans on social media so, when I got excited over their success, it was hard to find someone who shared in that same happiness.

I JUST FAVED MY OWN TWEET CAUSE THERE ARE NO OTHER MARLINS FANS ON MY TIMELINE

— Allison ⚾ (@booksandbalks) April 6, 2016

The game wore on. The Marlins scored, the Tigers scored, the Marlins scored again. The bullpen was not the shining beacon of hope that we needed them to be to start the season in our good graces. When it was time for our new closer to take the mound, I wasn't as concerned with his pitching as I was with his mouth and jaw.

oh honey get that wad out of your mouth

— Allison ⚾ (@booksandbalks) April 6, 2016

Honestly. Gross. Anyways, our new closer had a rough night. I, too, was having a rough time.

lowkey into this though because i love how emotional the fish get https://t.co/iCaQ0DARGD

— Allison ⚾ (@booksandbalks) April 6, 2016

Who can deny that their happiness is infectious? THEY WERE SO HAPPY.

Fast forward to the bottom of the 11th inning. Who other than my favorite pitcher to try and lead us to victory with his first career save?

SHANEEEE I WAS NOT EXPECTING TO SEE YOU TONIGHT

— Allison ⚾ (@booksandbalks) April 6, 2016

As I knew would happen, Shane Greene got the three final outs that we so desperately needed. The Tigers had won the game. World Series bound. As for me? I knew I had a new mission for the summer.

THANKS FOR THE VICTORY, BOYS! OFFICIAL #GREENEFORCLOSER CAMPAIGN

— Allison ⚾ (@booksandbalks) April 6, 2016

Final Score: Tigers 8 - Marlins 7
Highlights: Victor Martinez's pinch-hit home run, Anthony Gose's home run, Justin Verlander's base hit which lead up to Ian Kinsler's home run. Basically, a lot of home runs (yes, including Giancarlo Stanton's). And Shane Greene.
Lowlights: The bullpen besides Shane Greene. The fact that the FSD broadcast didn't show the pre-game ceremonies.

Game 002
This recap will be much shorter and less-detailed than the first because I, sadly, had to work during this game. I did make it home for the bottom of the ninth, which... well, we'll get to that.

• With James McCann getting a breather (I know, it's the second game of the season, probably could use a better word), Saltalamacchia got a chance to start against his former club. This would turn out to be a great opportunity because Salty ended the night with 4 RBIs, a definite highlight of this victory.
• Anibal Sanchez looked very sharp (read: I did not see him pitch but he did well so I'm sure he looked sharp) in his season debut. I'm weird in the fact that, sometimes, I forgot that Sanchez is in our rotation, let alone on our team. Performances like this, though, will make sure that I always remember him.
• The Marlins were silent until later in the game once again. When I got home for the bottom of the ninth inning, the Fish were starting to mount a comeback against the Tigers' bullpen (no surprise there) and it resulted in, as usual, a flurry of emotions. Not as dramatic as Tuesday's game, this one ended after just 9 innings, with the Tigers on top.