{"id":660553,"date":"2026-04-03T09:19:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T09:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/660553\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T09:19:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T09:19:32","slug":"tigers-home-opener-is-tradition-for-west-michigan-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/660553\/","title":{"rendered":"Tigers home opener is tradition for West Michigan family"},"content":{"rendered":"

COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. \u2014 For many Michiganders, the Detroit Tigers’ home opener marks the transition from a brutal winter to spring. But for the Baxter family, Opening Day is all about family.<\/p>\n

Dennis Baxter, co-owner of the West Michigan Whitecaps<\/a> \u2014 the Tigers\u2019 farm club \u2014 has been making the drive from Muskegon to Detroit for the home opener for about three decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing that green grass for the very first time, it’s like, yeah, spring is coming. Baseball’s here,\u201d Dennis Baxter said.<\/p>\n

\"Dennis<\/p>\n

Tara Baxter<\/p>\n

I caught up with Dennis Baxter at LMCU before he made the trip. While baseball might be a business for him, the Motor City tradition is a family affair that started with his brothers, expanded to his children, and now includes his grandchildren.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m going to keep going for as long as the Lord lets me,\u201d Dennis Baxter said.<\/p>\n

His daughter, Tara Baxter, has been attending the games for nearly two decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to say between 15 and 20 years. Somebody couldn’t go one year, yeah, and so I went. I got to take their place, and then I wouldn’t give my ticket back up. I kept going,\u201d Tara Baxter said.<\/p>\n

Rachel Hrem, Dennis Baxter’s other daughter, is now bringing the next generation to experience the excitement.<\/p>\n

“We’re super excited just to see the look on their face when he gets and ‘GO, GO baseball’,” Hrem said.<\/p>\n

\"Tara<\/p>\n

Tara Baxter<\/p>\n

The Tigers’ home opener offers a first taste of spring and a collective feeling of optimism.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can’t help but feel the excitement. Like, even if you’re not a baseball fan, you can’t help but to love it,\u201d Hrem said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that baseball brings people together, and it’s just amazing to see everyone so excited for the same thing,\u201d Tara Baxter said.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the opening game provides a reason to spend time with family and build memories that last a lifetime.<\/p>\n

“When you ask somebody, ‘Tell me about your first game experience,’ it almost always starts with, ‘Well, my mom took me to the game,’ or ‘My grandfather took me to a game,’ and it always starts with a family experience, and then it carries through from that,” Dennis Baxter said.<\/p>\n

For a look at the Tigers’ schedule for the rest of the season, check out this link. <\/a><\/p>\n

Remember, if you have an antenna, you can watch today’s game on Antenna TV, channel 17.2. <\/p>\n

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n

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