Monday night in Detroit felt very full-circle to many fans of the Detroit Tigers. With Justin Verlander making his first start back in his old home park since being traded to Houston, feelings were running high. Just over a year since his departure, Verlander’s return felt like the end of a year-long period of mourning over an era of Tigers baseball that delighted for so long, but ultimately ended in failure.
The theme continued with a notable first during the game. Christin Stewart, the Tigers’ sixth ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, made his starting debut in left field.