Young, Bonderman pace Tigers
DH just third Major Leaguer to hit three homers in opener
DETROIT -- When Detroiters call Opening Day an event, they don't expect this.
Jeremy Bonderman became the youngest pitcher to start a season opener since
Dwight Gooden in 1986, scattering a run on six hits over seven innings, and
Dmitri Young became the third player in Major League history to homer three
times on Opening Day as the Tigers posted an 11-2 victory over the Royals
Monday afternoon.
A Comerica Park record crowd of 44,105, boosted by 950 additional seats in
the new right-field grandstand, created a buzz on the Motor City's unofficial
holiday that grew as the game wore on. Bonderman received one of the louder
ovations during pregame introductions but was greeted even louder after
striking out five of Kansas City's first seven batters.
The 22-year-old Bonderman earned the Opening Day assignment a week ago
following a dominant spring. His performance Monday simply continued where he
left off in Florida.
"The bullpen was more [electric] to me. Having all these fans screaming and
yelling when they introduced me, that's when I kind of got juiced up. But
once I got on the mound, I just relaxed. I had to pitch my game if I was
going to have success, and that's what I did."
Likewise, Young received a decent applause when he trotted out of the dugout
for his introduction. He entered the season with more attention about
criticizing the Tigers' decision to send down Marcus Thames last Thursday
than hitting .304 in Spring Training.
By the time he returned to the dugout following his third home run, he was
receiving a standing ovation asking for a curtain call.
"I don't even know what to say," said Young, who went 4-for-4 and tied a
career high with five RBIs. "I just saw Bondo [pitch], wanted to win for him.
Just everything clicked. That's all I can say."
Bonderman did not allow an extra-base hit. His lone run allowed came when
John Buck led off the fifth inning with a single, advanced to second on a
hit-and-run groundout from Mark Teahen and scored on a David DeJesus single.
Other than that, he mixed in his changeup with his more familiar fastball and
slider with relative ease, throwing it more than once on full counts. He held
Royals sluggers Mike Sweeney and Calvin Pickering hitless with three
strikeouts, though Pickering struck later with an eighth-inning solo homer
off Ugueth Urbina.
"It was one of those outings where I tried to pound the zone, keep the
hitters off balance and give my team a chance to play some defense behind
me," Bonderman said. "I felt good the whole game. I had a good breaking ball
early, using my fastball in two-strike counts. Pudge called a great game. We
were on the same page the whole time."
Young set a new franchise record for home runs in a season opener, eclipsing
the old mark of two last accomplished by Kirk Gibson in 1986. He became the
third Major Leaguer to homer three times on Opening Day, following Toronto's
George Bell in 1988 and the Cubs' Tuffy Rhodes in 1994.
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