Mickey Lolich, who led the major leagues in innings pitched with 376 for the Tigers last year, showed no effects of the layoff because of the players' strike and started the new season with a complete game to defeat the Red Sox, 3-2. The veteran lefthander gave up three singles for one run in the first inning, but Bill Freehan doubled for the Tigers in the second and Ed Brinkman, who rarely hits a homer, smashed a drive over the fence off Marty Pattin.

The Red Sox tied the score in the third when Tommy Harper walked and Luis Aparicio doubled. The Tigers came back to give Lolich his victory with the deciding run in the seventh on singles by Norm Cash, Willie Horton and Freehan. A crowd of 31,510 attended the inaugural. [The Sporting News]



Detroit Tigers 3, Boston Red Sox 2
Game Played on Saturday, April     15, 1972 (Day game) at Tiger Stadium
Red Sox      1  0  1    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   2  6  1
Tigers       0  2  0    0  0  0    1  0  x  -   3  6  0


Red Sox              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Tigers               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Harper cf             3   2   1   0     1   0   .333      McAuliffe 2b          2   0   0   0     2   0   .000
Aparicio ss           4   0   2   1     0   0   .500      Rodriguez 3b          4   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Yastrzemski lf        4   0   1   0     0   1   .250      Northrup cf,lf        4   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Smith rf              4   0   0   0     0   1   .000      Kaline rf             4   0   0   0     0   1   .000
Petrocelli 3b         4   0   1   1     0   0   .250      Cash 1b               4   1   2   0     0   0   .500
Cater 1b              4   0   0   0     0   3   .000      Horton lf             3   0   1   0     0   0   .333
Griffin 2b            3   0   1   0     0   0   .333        Stanley cf          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Josephson c           3   0   0   0     0   1   .000      Freehan c             3   1   2   1     0   0   .667
Pattin p              3   0   0   0     0   3   .000      Brinkman ss           3   1   1   2     0   0   .333
  Tatum p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Lolich p              2   0   0   0     0   1   .000

Totals               32   2   6   2     1   9             Totals               29   3   6   3     2   2

Time of Game: 2:18   Attendance: 31,510
Left on Base: Red Sox 4, Tigers 5
DP: Red Sox 0, Tigers 0
Errors: Aparicio
Doubles: Aparicio (1), Freehan (1)
Home Runs: Brinkman (1)
Sacrifice Hits: Lolich (1)


Red Sox                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Pattin L(0-1)           6     6   3   3   1   2   1  25   4.50
Tatum                   2     0   0   0   1   0   0   7   0.00
Totals                  8     6   3   3   2   2   1  32

Tigers                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Lolich W(1-0)           9     6   2   2   1   9   0  33   2.00
Totals                  9     6   2   2   1   9   0  33

Wild Pitches: Lolich (1)

Umpires: HP - Larry Napp, 1B - Art Frantz, 2B - Merle Anthony, 3B - George Maloney


RED SOX 1ST: Harper singled to left; Aparicio singled to left
[Harper to second]; Yastrzemski singled to center [Harper to
third, Aparicio to second]; Smith struck out; Petrocelli singled
to left [Harper scored, Aparicio to third, Yastrzemski out at
third (left to third)]; Luis Aparicio and Carl Yastrzemski
both ended up at 3B; Lolich threw a wild pitch [Petrocelli
to second]; Cater was called out on strikes; 1 R, 4 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 0.

TIGERS 1ST: McAuliffe walked; Rodriguez forced McAuliffe
(shortstop unassisted) [Rodriguez to second (error by
Aparicio)]; Northrup grounded out (shortstop to first); Kaline
flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 0.

RED SOX 2ND: Griffin lined to left; Josephson grounded out
(shortstop to first); Pattin struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Red Sox 1, Tigers 0.

TIGERS 2ND: Cash flied out to left; Horton grounded out (third
to first); Freehan doubled to right; Brinkman homered [Freehan
scored]; Lolich struck out; 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 1,
Tigers 2.

RED SOX 3RD: Harper walked; Aparicio doubled to left [Harper
scored]; Yastrzemski grounded out (first to pitcher) [Aparicio
to third]; Smith grounded out (third to first); Petrocelli made
an out to second; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 2.

TIGERS 3RD: McAuliffe flied out to right; Rodriguez flied out to
left; Northrup made an out to third; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red
Sox 2, Tigers 2.

RED SOX 4TH: Cater struck out; Griffin singled to left;
Josephson flied out to right; Pattin struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E,
1 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 2.

TIGERS 4TH: Kaline grounded out (pitcher to first); Cash singled
to center; Horton flied out to left; Freehan forced Cash (third
to second); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 2.

RED SOX 5TH: Harper lined to shortstop; Aparicio grounded out
(third to first); Yastrzemski was called out on strikes; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 2.

TIGERS 5TH: Brinkman lined to left; Lolich grounded out
(shortstop to first); McAuliffe made an out to shortstop; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 2.

RED SOX 6TH: Smith flied out to center; Petrocelli flied out to
left; Cater struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers
2.

TIGERS 6TH: Rodriguez grounded out (shortstop to first);
Northrup grounded out (first to pitcher); Kaline struck out; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 2.

RED SOX 7TH: Griffin made an out to shortstop; Josephson struck
out; Pattin struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers
2.

TIGERS 7TH: Cash singled to center; Horton singled to left [Cash
to second]; Freehan singled to left [Cash scored, Horton to
second]; TATUM REPLACED PATTIN (PITCHING); Brinkman made an out
to first; Lolich out on a sacrifice bunt (pitcher to second)
[Horton to third, Freehan to second]; McAuliffe was walked
intentionally; Rodriguez made an out to third; 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 3
LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 3.

RED SOX 8TH: Harper flied out to center; Aparicio grounded out
(shortstop to first); Yastrzemski popped to third in foul
territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 3.

TIGERS 8TH: Northrup grounded out (shortstop to first); Kaline
flied out to center; Cash grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 3.

RED SOX 9TH: STANLEY REPLACED HORTON (PLAYING CF); NORTHRUP
CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); Smith grounded out (third to
first); Petrocelli flied out to right; Cater made an out to
shortstop; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 3.