Young Fan Travels from Tennessee to See Tigers Playoff Action at Comerica

On October 8, 2025, Detroit Tigers fans were eager to welcome their team back home for Game 3 of the American League Divisional Series against the Seattle Mariners. The game, originally scheduled to start at 4 p.m., was delayed due to persistent rain that had been falling since the morning.

Despite the gloomy weather, the mood among the inflowing crowd at Comerica Park remained optimistic. Fans, some wearing official rain ponchos and others improvising with clear plastic bags, filled the concourse, determined to support their team. Among them was 14-year-old Matt Deiterick, who had traveled all the way from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, accompanied by his mother, to see his beloved Tigers in action. Deiterick's goal was to catch a home run ball, ideally off the bat of his favorite player, Javier Baez.

The Tigers had recently earned their spot in the playoffs after a late-season surge, and their fans were eager to see them continue their momentum. "They needed to come home. They needed to get their feet on hallowed ground in order to go to victory again," said Julie Garcia, who had come to the game with her friend Anna Christian and Christian's husband.

The rainy weather, in fact, had facilitated the attendance of some fans, like Steve Oshinsky of West Bloomfield, who had not initially planned to go to the game but decided to purchase last-minute tickets when he saw the rain that morning. Others, like Eric Montaleo and his 9-year-old daughter Natalia, were there to celebrate a special occasion - Natalia's birthday. Natalia, who doesn't play baseball herself but is a big fan, predicted a Tigers victory, saying, "Because we're number one."