Blue Jays-Tigers: The Kids Are Alright!

(Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images)

Like a good heavyweight fight, last night, the Toronto Blue Jays came out swinging.

By the end of the first round they had battered and smashed their way to a 4–0 lead. No sooner had the sportsnet commentator let slip that Justin Verlander led the majors in 2008 with 17 losses and the Jays were on the board with a two out rally.

Curtis Granderson showed that the visitors were still had some fight left in them when he drilled a Roy Halladay offering into the second deck in right field. Unfortunately for the Tiger the Blue Jays answered in a big way in the bottom of the fourth, making it 9-1 for the home side.

When it was all said and done, the Jays posted 12 runs on 15 hits, both totals one shy of an opening day record.

The offense was potent as the young sticks of Adam Lind and rookie Travis Snider managed to go a combined 6-for-9 with three runs scored, a double, two home runs, and seven of the twelve runs batted in.

Unfortunately it seems that the drinks were as strong as the bats. It’s too bad the only balls flying past Tiger’s left fielder Josh Anderson weren’t off the bats of Blue Jays. It’s seems that a couple of fans had to ruin the party for everyone causing a 10-minute delay when Jim Leyland for the safety of his team pulled them off the field.

Anderson who along with Curtis Granderson was the Tiger most affected by the incident was quoted as saying, “"If it hits you in the head, it could do some damage. After the second one I said, 'That's enough."

It was clear of Leyland’s intention to protect his players when he approached the home plate umpire after the first incident.

Leyland was very calm while trying to put the incident behind them after the game when he said the incident was, “no big deal.”

He later went on to describe the opening day crowd with a charm that only an old veteran like Leyland could muster in trying to defuse the situation but keep it in perspective he said, “"There were thousands of great fans here tonight," Leyland continued.

"Ice-cold Labatts and a big win for the Blue Jays—they were having a great time. But you can't endanger any players, whether they're you're players or someone else's. You just can't do it."

Cito Gaston seemed to be even more disappointed by the fan he has managed in front of on two separate occasions now. Cito was quoted as saying, “I've never seen that here before," Gaston lamented. "I apologize to those Detroit players, a couple of those balls came really close to hitting those kids out there."

Doc making his seventh opening day start described the fan experience and crowds that are drawn on opening day as a “different animal.”

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