Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch had a harrowing experience on Opening Day.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Saturday’s game between the Tigers and Chicago White Sox, Hinch revealed he was almost hit by a car when he ran onto the field before the first pitch for Thursday’s opener.
There doesn’t seem to be any video evidence to see how close Hinch came to the car.
As part of the pregame festivities at Guaranteed Rate Field, the White Sox brought some of their players onto the field in a car. Hinch evidently nearly got clipped by one on his way to home plate for the exchange of lineup cards.
Even though that was probably not the way Hinch wanted to start the season, things got better for him when the game started. Tarik Skubal tossed six shutout innings, allowing three hits with six strikeouts in a 1-0 win for the Tigers.
The victory marked the first time the Tigers have been over .500 since the first game of the 2022 season when they also defeated the White Sox.
Coming out of Friday’s off day, the Tigers will send Kenta Maeda to the mound against Michael Soroka for the White Sox. A win will give Detroit its first 2-0 start to a season since 2021.
