What the Detroit Tigers Opening Day Victory Told Us—And What It Didn’t
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The Detroit Tigers earned an 8-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday afternoon to kick off the regular season on the right foot after a very exciting winter and spring training.
After an entire offseason of hype centered around the potential of this team to be a World Series contender, they certainly looked the part in the win. All eyes were on top prospect Kevin McGonigle making his big league debut, and he did not disappoint with a historic 4-for-5 day at the plate.
Naturally, this is going to be the main story, but it's far from the only one. In terms of what Opening Day told us though, it confirmed everything fans thought about the 21-year-old.
Kevin McGonigle is More Than Ready for The Show
McGonigle's two-run double in the first inning off one of the better pitchers in baseball in Nick Pivetta would have been plenty for fans to be excited about if it was the only thing he did. Instead, he went on to add three more hits for good measure.
Looking comfortable in the infield and absolutely dialed in at the plate, McGonigle did not take long to show fans why the team made the decision to put him on the big league roster despite not seeing a single pitch in Triple-A.
Prepare yourselves Tigers fans, because the McGonigle hype train has officially left the station and there is no turning back now.
Tarik Skubal Not Showing Any Signs of Slowing Down
Is there any real surprise here?
Skubal tossed six scoreless innings and allowed just three hits, striking out six and not walking anyone in a true vintage showing for the southpaw. Not that anyone expected any kind of slippage for the repeat Cy Young winner as he chases history, but he did not show any signs of rust.
His chase for a third straight Cy Young award is going to be one of the stories of the summer.
Tigers Sixth Starter Not Locked Down After Anderson Struggles
When Detroit signed Drew Anderson, the move was made with much skepticism -- largely because it was before other moves were made to acquire starters. By the time the spring arrived, there was not a spot in the rotation for him, but he still had a massive camp.
In relief of Skubal though, Anderson looked extremely shaky during what was his first MLB action in a half decade. Over 1.1 innings he gave up two hits including a crushed home run off his kick changeup that was so effective in the spring, and he walked two batters as well.
The Tigers don't need Anderson to be a starter now, but when injuries inevitably occur, the hope was that he will be able to start games for this team at some point. Detroit will have to hope the issues from the right-hander were just first game jitters in his return to the big leagues, and if it is more than that, the depth of the rotation may not be as strong as they thought.
Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.