Lakeland, Fla. — Derek Holland, for one, was fired up to pitch in front of actual, human beings Sunday.
“I wish I could say the exact words to describe how it felt,” said the veteran lefty trying to win a spot in the Tigers bullpen as a non-roster invitee. “It’s everything we want. We want to have the fans back. Just to have that atmosphere. Just hearing those people — they could be cheering us or they could be booing us. It just felt good to have them back.”
Holland pitched a scoreless inning in the Tigers 10-2 Grapefruit League opener against the Phillies at Joker Marchant Stadium.