Detroit ― The Tigers return home this weekend, and there’s going to be a very large welcoming committee.
The Tigers’ series with the Chicago Cubs, set for Friday through Sunday at Comerica Park, is likely to draw the largest June home crowd for a three-game series in Detroit since at least 2016, as the Tigers boast the best record in Major League Baseball and the Cubs lead their division, too.
The Tigers confirmed recently that the Saturday game is expected to be a sellout, of more than 40,000 fans. The club is selling standing-room-only tickets for that game, with a 1:10 p.m. first pitch. The Tigers’ success surely has lit up the ticket phone lines, but that day also is a giveaway, with fans receiving a baseball bat sling cooler.
As of Tuesday morning, the Friday night and Sunday afternoon games aren’t yet offering standing-room-only tickets, which signals a sellout, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they are on sale at some point this week.
Tigers manager AJ Hinch pushed back the start of ace Tarik Skubal by a day, moving him out of this week’s road series against the White Sox in Chicago, and setting him up to start the Friday night opener (7:10 first pitch) of the three-game series at Comerica Park. Sunday’s game starts at 1:40, and Sundays often are well-attended, as Kids Day.
All three of the weekend’s games between the I-94 rivals are tagged “Selling fast” on secondary marketplace StubHub, but as of Tuesday morning, you could still get in through StubHub, with two tickets together, for less than $50 Sunday, less than $60 Friday and less than $70 Saturday.
It almost certainly will be the Tigers’ most well-attended three-game home series this season, and it has a chance to pass the Tigers-Cleveland Guardians series from last month, which drew 122,925, but that was over four games.
The last time the Tigers flirted with three sellouts in three June home games was in 2016, when they drew 113,416 for a late-in-the-month series against Cleveland.
The Tigers also are bracing for big crowds for next weekend’s three-game home series with the Cincinnati Reds.
This season, in large part because of weather and large part because fans were taking a wait-and-see approach early, the Tigers are 20th in MLB in home attendance, averaging 25,392 fans. They’ve sold out once, on Opening Day, and topped 40,000 fans twice, including a May game against the Texas Rangers.
The Tigers on Monday became the first MLB team to get to 40 wins (they also were first to 30, and first in the American League to 20), after a 13-1 romp over the White Sox in which Kerry Carpenter hit three home runs.
The Tigers (40-21) lead the AL Central by 6.5 games, and the Cubs (37-22) lead the NL Central by four games.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
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