Tigers’ Young Hits Three Homers

Dmitri Young got to the top step of the dugout, pivoted and tipped his helmet to a roaring crowd after becoming only the third player to hit three home runs on opening day.

“I’ve had a curtain call, but nothing like that,” Young said. “That was incredible.”

Young finished four for four and matched a career high with five runs batted in, and Jeremy Bonderman won as the youngest opening-day starter since 1986 to lead the Detroit Tigers over the Kansas City Royals, 11-2, Monday at Detroit.

Two years after losing an American League-record 119 games, the Tigers backed up what Young said last month when he proclaimed, “We’re the Tigers -- not the kittens.”

Detroit’s performance created a frenzied atmosphere at Comerica Park, which was packed with a record crowd of 44,105.

“I don’t know if I could’ve written a better script,” Tiger Manager Alan Trammell said.

Young’s home run in the second inning put Detroit ahead, 1-0. He hit a two-run homer in the third for a 5-0 lead and hit a two-run shot in the eighth. The designated hitter also had a single and was hit by a pitch.

“That was a great day,” Kansas City Manager Tony Pena said. “Good for him. Bad for us.”

Toronto’s George Bell hit three homers against the Royals on opening day in 1988 and Tuffy Rhodes of the Chicago Cubs had three against the New York Mets in 1994. Those two games also were played April 4.

“It was just one of those unconscious days,” said Young, who has hit two homers in a game six times.

He did not hit a home run in 46 at-bats during spring training.

“You never see those stats on the back of a bubble gum card,” Young said with a wide smile.

Young did his best to deflect attention to the rest of his teammates, especially Bonderman, whom he called “a young Roger Clemens.”

Bonderman pumped his fist and walked off the mound with a confident strut after ending the second inning with his fifth strikeout. He finished with seven strikeouts in seven innings and gave up one run and six hits.

The 22-year-old right-hander became the youngest pitcher to start an opener since the New York Mets’ Dwight Gooden did it at age 21 in 1986. No Tiger that young had started an opener since 20-year-old Josh Billings in 1928.

Right-hander Jose Lima gave up five runs and six hits in three innings in his first opening-day start, and the 200th of his career. Three of the hits were homers, including one by Brandon Inge.

“It’s too quiet in here,” Lima said in the clubhouse. “No one died. We still have 161 games left.”

Chicago 1, Cleveland 0 -- Mark Buehrle retired the first 12 batters he faced and gave up two hits in eight innings to overcome a four-hitter by Jake Westbrook at Chicago.

Paul Konerko doubled down the left-field line in the seventh inning, moved to third on Jermaine Dye’s fly to right field and scored on an error by shortstop Jhonny Peralta on Aaron Rowand’s one-out grounder.

Shingo Takatsu pitched a perfect ninth for the save, completing a game that took 1 hour 51 minutes.

Indian third baseman Aaron Boone played his first game since the 2003 World Series with the New York Yankees and was hitless in three at-bats. He sat out last season because of a knee injury.

Baltimore 4, Oakland 0 -- Sammy Sosa got two hits in his debut with the host Orioles, who beat left-hander Barry Zito.

In his first game since being traded from the Chicago Cubs in February, Sosa singled in the first two of his four at-bats.

Zito, making his first opening-day start, gave up four runs and six hits in six innings, including a home run to Luis Matos.

Rodrigo Lopez gave up seven hits in six innings to help the Orioles beat the Athletics for the first time since 2003.

Seattle 5, Minnesota 1 -- Richie Sexson homered twice and drove in five runs in his Mariner debut, and 42-year-old Jamie Moyer gave up five hits and an unearned run in 5 2/3 innings to win at Seattle.

Sexson, who received a $50-million, four-year contract to join the Mariners, hit a three-run homer in the first inning and a two-run homer in the third, both against Brad Radke, who made his seventh consecutive opening-day start.

Ichiro Suzuki led off the first with a single and Adrian Beltre hit a one-out grounder, but Radke was charged with an error on his throw to second when he tried for the force. Sexson homered on the next pitch.

Toronto 5, Tampa Bay 2 -- Roy Halladay struck out seven and did not walk a batter in seven-plus innings, and three Blue Jays homered at St. Petersburg, Fla., to end the Devil Rays’ five-game winning streak in season openers.

Halladay, the 2003 American League Cy Young Award winner, was slowed by injuries last season, but he looked sharp against Tampa Bay.

Orlando Hudson hit a two-run homer against Dewon Brazelton in the fourth inning. Six pitches later, Vernon Wells followed with a homer.