Sparked by Roy Howell, who collected four singles, the Blue Jays opened their home season with a 10-8 victory over the Tigers before a crowd of 35,761. Homers by Ron LeFlore and Jason Thompson helped the Tigers take a 6-4 lead before the Blue Jays sent 10 men to plate and erupted for six runs in the sixth inning with the aid of two errors.

Only two runs in the outburst were earned. Howell drove in a pair with a single and had three RBIs for the game. [The Sporting News]



Toronto Blue Jays 10, Detroit Tigers 8
Game Played on Friday, April     14, 1978 (Day game) at Exhibition Stadium
Tigers       3  1  1    1  0  0    0  0  2  -   8 13  3
Blue Jays    2  0  2    0  0  6    0  0  x  -  10 12  0


Tigers               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Blue Jays            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
LeFlore cf            4   3   2   1     1   2   .370      Bosetti cf            5   2   1   0     0   2   .222
Whitaker 2b           5   0   0   0     0   0   .133      Bailor 3b             4   2   2   0     1   0   .583
Staub dh              4   1   1   0     1   0   .250      Howell rf             5   3   4   3     0   0   .435
Thompson 1b           4   2   3   2     1   0   .269      Carty dh              4   0   2   2     0   1   .273
Kemp lf               5   0   3   3     0   0   .429      Mayberry 1b           2   1   0   0     3   0   .150
Corcoran rf           4   0   0   0     1   0   .273      Hutton lf             3   0   1   0     0   1   .278
May c                 3   1   1   0     1   0   .545        Ault ph             1   1   1   1     0   0  1.000
Rodriguez 3b          3   0   1   1     0   0   .417        Upshaw lf           1   0   0   0     0   0   .250
  Mankowski ph,3b     1   0   0   0     0   0   .250      McKay 2b              4   0   1   2     0   0   .182
Trammell ss           3   0   1   0     0   0   .300      Gomez ss              3   0   0   0     1   0   .059
  Wockenfuss ph       1   1   1   0     0   0  1.000      Ashby c               3   1   0   0     1   1   .063
Slaton p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Garvin p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Wilcox p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Moore p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Hiller p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Kirkwood p          0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Taylor p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Murphy p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               37   8  13   7     5   2             Totals               35  10  12   8     6   5

Time of Game: 2:55   Attendance: 35,761
Left on Base: Tigers 7, Blue Jays 8
DP: Tigers 1, Blue Jays 2
Errors: LeFlore, Whitaker 2
Doubles: May (2), Bosetti (2), Hutton (2)
Home Runs: LeFlore (2), Thompson (2)
Sacrifice Flies: Carty (1)
GIDP: Rodriguez (1), Kemp (1), Ashby (1)


Tigers                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Slaton                  2     7   4   4   2   0   0  14   6.10
Wilcox L(0-1)           3.1   2   3   1   2   3   0  15   2.70
Hiller                  1.2   3   3   1   2   2   0  10   3.86
Taylor                  1     0   0   0   0   0   0   3   0.00
Totals                  8    12  10   5*  6   5   0  42

Blue Jays              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Garvin                  2.1   6   5   5   1   1   2  14   5.73
Moore                   0     0   0   0   2   0   0   2   0.00
Kirkwood W(1-0)         5.2   5   3   3   2   1   0  21   4.76
Murphy SV(1)            1     2   0   0   0   0   0   5   0.00
Totals                  9    13   8   8   5   2   2  42

Wild Pitches: Slaton 2 (2), Hiller (1), Moore (1)

Umpires: HP - George Maloney, 1B - Jim McKean, 2B - Greg Kosc, 3B - Jerry Neudecker


TIGERS 1ST: LeFlore homered; Whitaker lined to shortstop; Staub
singled to right; Thompson homered [Staub scored]; Kemp grounded
out (pitcher to first); Corcoran made an out to shortstop; 3 R,
3 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 3, Blue Jays 0.

BLUE JAYS 1ST: Bosetti doubled to left; Bailor grounded out
(shortstop to first) [Bosetti to third]; Howell singled [Bosetti
scored]; Carty singled to left [Howell to second]; Slaton threw
a wild pitch [Howell to third]; Carty was out trying to advance
to second (catcher to shortstop); Slaton threw a wild pitch
[Howell scored]; Mayberry walked; Hutton doubled to left
[Mayberry to third]; McKay grounded out (second to first); 2 R,
4 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Tigers 3, Blue Jays 2.

TIGERS 2ND: May doubled to right; Rodriguez singled to right
[May scored, Rodriguez to second (on throw to home)]; Trammell
grounded out (shortstop to first); LeFlore struck out; Whitaker
grounded out (pitcher to first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers
4, Blue Jays 2.

BLUE JAYS 2ND: Gomez reached on an error by Whitaker [Gomez to
first]; Ashby grounded into a double play (first to shortstop to
first) [Gomez out at second]; Bosetti lined to shortstop; 0 R, 0
H, 1 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 4, Blue Jays 2.

TIGERS 3RD: Staub lined to second; Thompson walked; Kemp singled
to right [Thompson to third]; MOORE REPLACED GARVIN (PITCHING);
Moore threw a wild pitch [Thompson scored, Kemp to second];
Corcoran walked; May walked [Kemp to third, Corcoran to second];
KIRKWOOD REPLACED MOORE (PITCHING); Rodriguez grounded into a
double play (third to second) [Corcoran out at third, May out at
second]; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Tigers 5, Blue Jays 2.

BLUE JAYS 3RD: Bailor singled to left; Howell singled to right
[Bailor to third]; Carty singled to right [Bailor scored, Howell
to second]; WILCOX REPLACED SLATON (PITCHING); Mayberry walked
(walk was charged to Slaton) [Howell to third, Carty to second];
Hutton struck out; McKay forced Mayberry (second to shortstop)
[Howell scored, Carty to third]; Gomez walked [McKay to second];
Ashby made an out to shortstop; 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Tigers 5,
Blue Jays 4.

TIGERS 4TH: Trammell singled to center; LeFlore singled to right
[Trammell to third]; Whitaker reached on a fielder's choice
[Trammell out at home (third to catcher to third), LeFlore to
third]; Staub walked [Whitaker to second]; Thompson flied out to
left; Kemp singled to left [LeFlore scored, Whitaker out at home
(left to catcher), Staub to second]; 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.
Tigers 6, Blue Jays 4.

BLUE JAYS 4TH: Bosetti struck out; Bailor flied out to left;
Howell singled to right; Carty was called out on strikes; 0 R, 1
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 6, Blue Jays 4.

TIGERS 5TH: Corcoran grounded out (pitcher to first); May flied
out to left; Rodriguez grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 6, Blue Jays 4.

BLUE JAYS 5TH: Mayberry made an out to shortstop; Hutton
grounded out (second to first); McKay flied out to left; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 6, Blue Jays 4.

TIGERS 6TH: Trammell grounded out (third to first); LeFlore
struck out; Whitaker grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 6, Blue Jays 4.

BLUE JAYS 6TH: Gomez grounded out (shortstop to first); Ashby
walked; Bosetti reached on an error by Whitaker [Ashby to
second]; Bailor singled to pitcher [Ashby to third, Bosetti to
second]; HILLER REPLACED WILCOX (PITCHING); Howell singled to
left [Ashby scored, Bosetti scored (unearned), Bailor to third];
Carty hit a sacrifice fly to center [Bailor scored (unearned)];
Mayberry walked [Howell to second]; AULT BATTED FOR HUTTON;
Hiller threw a wild pitch [Howell to third, Mayberry to second];
Ault singled to center [Howell scored (unearned, but earned for
the pitcher), Mayberry scored (error by LeFlore) (unearned),
Ault to third]; McKay singled [Ault scored (unearned)]; Gomez
grounded out (second to first); 6 R (2 ER), 4 H, 2 E, 1 LOB.
Tigers 6, Blue Jays 10.

TIGERS 7TH: UPSHAW REPLACED AULT (PLAYING LF); Staub popped to
catcher in foul territory; Thompson singled to center; Kemp
grounded into a double play (shortstop to second to first)
[Thompson out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 6, Blue
Jays 10.

BLUE JAYS 7TH: Ashby struck out; Bosetti struck out; Bailor
walked; Howell grounded out (third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Tigers 6, Blue Jays 10.

TIGERS 8TH: Corcoran grounded out (first to pitcher); May
grounded out (first unassisted); MANKOWSKI BATTED FOR RODRIGUEZ;
Mankowski grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Tigers 6, Blue Jays 10.

BLUE JAYS 8TH: MANKOWSKI STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 3B); TAYLOR
REPLACED HILLER (PITCHING); Carty grounded out (shortstop to
first); Mayberry flied out to center; Upshaw flied out to
center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 6, Blue Jays 10.

TIGERS 9TH: WOCKENFUSS BATTED FOR TRAMMELL; Wockenfuss singled
to third; LeFlore walked [Wockenfuss to second]; MURPHY REPLACED
KIRKWOOD (PITCHING); Whitaker flied out to left; Staub flied out
to right; Thompson singled to left [Wockenfuss to third, LeFlore
to second]; Kemp singled to center [Wockenfuss scored, LeFlore
scored, Thompson to second]; Corcoran grounded out (second to
first); 2 R, 3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Tigers 8, Blue Jays 10.