If today's forecast for next week holds, the Tigers and their fans will experience the coldest recorded weather for a home opener in the history of the franchise. The game time temperature Friday against the Yankees is expected to be 29 degrees with 20 mph winds. That translates to a wind chill of about 17 degrees.
Oh, and it might snow. But frankly, that seems like the least of our worries.
The current record-holder came in 1997. It was 36 degrees at first pitch, but with a 25 mph wind that put the wind chill in the mid-20s, according to MLive. That was at Tiger Stadium. The coldest home opener at Comerica Park was its first, the year 2000, with 36 degree temperature but with only 15 mph wind.
The coldest recorded weather at Tiger Stadium came in 1997 as well, with the temperature just 30 degrees at first pitch. The attendance was just 6,477. Keep in mind that weather information gets a bit incomplete as you go further back in baseball's past. But there's potential for the coldest Tigers home game ever.
Looking at something a more recent, we can say with a little more certainty this would be the coldest game played at Comerica Park. You don't have to go back far for the current record holder: a 33-degree April 23 of last season against the Yankees. That wasn't actually the snow David Price game. This game came a day later. Price pitched on a relatively balmy, 38-degree afternoon.
So at this point, this pretty much seems like the Yankees' fault.
Here are the coldest games played at Comerica Park:
And finally, the coldest recorded temperature for a Tigers game played anywhere came at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City in 2007. The skies were clear, but the temperature came in at 29 degrees with 15 mph wind.
Even if the game doesn't set any records, the local establishments should be hopping, and you'll want to wear plenty of layers. But hey, at least baseball's back, right?