April 6, 2005
The Detroit Tigers began their 2005 season in style on April 4, defeating the Kansas City Royals 11-2 in their home opener of the Major League Baseball season. The game, played in front of a record crowd of 44,105 at Detroit’s Comerica Park, was an offensive showcase for the Tigers, led by Dmitri Young, who went 4-for-4, matching a career-high 5 RBIs. Three of Young’s four hits were home runs, making Young only the third baseball player in history to hit three home runs in a season opener. The previous two players to accomplish that feat are George Bell, who hit three home runs for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Royals on opening day, 1988; and Tuffy Rhodes, who hit three home runs for the Chicago Cubs against the New York Mets in 1994.
Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman was the winning pitcher, the youngest starter to win an opening day game since 1986.