While baseball fans traditionally prefer peanuts and Cracker Jacks, many Central Michigan University students went with hot wings and mozzarella sticks on opening day.

Students enjoyed the Detroit Tigers’ game away against the New York Yankees Thursday in locations on and off campus.

Buffalo Wild Wings, 1904 S. Mission St., had 23 of its 35 big-screen televisions tuned to the game for customers to enjoy. Clarksville sophomore Greg Forman and Troy senior Matt Campbell said they felt very optimistic about the Tigers’ chances this year.

“I think they’re going to make the playoffs,” Forman said. “They’ll make it to at least the American League Championship Series.”

Campbell said the restaurant was the perfect place for him to eat and watch the Tigers play because it is within walking distance to his classes.

O’Kelly’s Sports Bar and Grill, 2000 S. Mission St., also embraced the opening day celebrations. Bay City junior Charelotte Kern said she has a history with both O’Kelly’s and the Tigers.

“When I am not working (at O’Kelly’s), I usually hang out here with my friends,” Kern said. “Not only that, but I also love the Tigers, and Magglio (Ordonez).”

Despite the Yankees’ 6-3 victory over the Tigers, Waterford junior Jeff Olson said the Tigers will have a good year overall.

“Being a big sports fan in general, I think we’ve got a good lineup,” Olson said. “We’re a little slow and we need to get a little better pitching, but we’ll be able to put up a lot of runs on the scoreboard for sure.”

Olson and his friends decided to watch the game in the Beddow Hall lobby.

“We all know each other from Beddow Hall,” Olson said. “We all cannot wait to start going to the games in the summer.”

The Tigers logged six hits and one error during the game. First baseman Miguel Cabrera batted 1-2 with two runs and an RBI off a sacrifice fly.

Starting pitcher Justin Verlander pitched six innings with eight strikeouts and three earned runs. The Tigers play again at 4:10 p.m. Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

E-mail the author: Orrin Shawl

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Published: 3/31/2011

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — As soon as Justin Verlander was done for the day, the Detroit Tigers froze up.

Verlander held the New York Yankees in check for six innings, throwing 114 pitches in short sleeves on a frigid afternoon, but Phil Coke served up a tiebreaking homer to ex-Tiger Curtis Granderson in the seventh and Detroit dropped its season opener 6-3 on Thursday.

“I just felt absolutely not right. Nothing else to blame but myself,” said Coke, scheduled to move into the rotation April 9. “You’ve got to do your job. I didn’t do my job today. I’m irritated with myself because of it.”

Third baseman Brandon Inge, normally a reliable fielder, committed a costly throwing error, and a pair of wild pitches by young relievers Ryan Perry and Daniel Schlereth led to insurance runs for New York.

Victor Martinez singled in his first at-bat for Detroit, helping his new team build an early run, and Miguel Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly and scored twice. But by the time Mariano Rivera closed it out for a save, the final 10 Tigers hitters had been retired by New York’s imposing bullpen.

“Their bullpen and the long ball is what did us in today,” Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. “I thought it was actually a decent game for the conditions. It was pretty rough.”

Granderson, traded to the Yankees in a December 2009 deal that sent Coke and Austin Jackson to Detroit, also made two terrific plays in center and homered in his third consecutive opener.

Jackson, coming off a strong rookie season, struck out three times in the leadoff spot. He also singled and scored.

Coke (0-1) was brought in to face Granderson in a lefty-on-lefty matchup to start the bottom of the seventh. Coke fell behind 2-0 and Granderson drove the next pitch into the second deck in right.

“Couldn’t throw a strike until he hit it out of the yard,” Coke said.

Said Leyland: “He just got behind Granderson and left no doubt what was coming.”

With the flags above the lights in right field whipping toward the foul pole, Mark Teixeira connected off Verlander for a three-run shot in the third.

“It was a fastball in. He did a pretty good job of turning on it. Not too many hitters can do that,” Tigers catcher Alex Avila said.

Slimmed down by 25 pounds after having surgery on his right knee this winter, Yankees starter CC Sabathia gave up six hits and three runs — two earned — in six innings. Making his third opening day start in three seasons with New York, Sabathia struck out seven and walked two.

Joba Chamberlain (1-0), Rafael Soriano and Rivera each pitched a perfect inning.

“We’ve got to score early in the game,” Cabrera said. “They’re tough.”

Verlander was making his fourth straight opening day start, most for the Tigers since Jack Morris went 10 in a row (1980-90). He was hoping to get off to a quick start after going 1-2 with a 5.29 ERA last year in April before finishing 18-9, and he altered his offseason workout routine to help accomplish that.

“Obviously, coming out of the spring that I had, this is not the result that I wanted,” Verlander said. “I felt pretty calm considering opening day, Yankee Stadium — it’s hard to keep your adrenaline in check.”

The right-hander reached 97 mph on the radar gun in the first, but walked Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez before striking out Robinson Cano with his 31st pitch of the inning.

Verlander gave up just two other hits, including Rodriguez’s one-out double in the sixth that hit the fence in right-center just above the 385-foot marker. He walked Cano, but struck out Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada with two deceptive changeups.

“I’m trying to change things around in April. Last April I wore long sleeves,” Verlander said. “The only issue when I felt it was really cold on my body was coming out of the dugout. They have heaters in there.”

Jhonny Peralta drove in his first run of the month. After going without an RBI in 66 spring at-bats, he hit a sacrifice fly in his first plate appearance to give Detroit the lead in the second inning.

Cabrera lined a single and Martinez hit a hot shot to shortstop that Derek Jeter couldn’t corral. The ball squirted into center for a base hit. Sabathia walked the bases loaded before Peralta flied out.

“We did center some balls pretty good off CC, especially early,” Leyland said. “We didn’t have a lot of luck with it.”

Detroit closed to 3-2 on Inge’s two-out single in the fourth and tied it on Cabrera’s sacrifice fly in the fifth.

NOTES: The last time these teams met on opening day in New York was 1966, with the Tigers winning 2-1. … Mike Mussina threw out the ceremonial first pitch. … The Tigers failed to homer for the first time in eight games at the new Yankee Stadium.

NEW YORK — When Justin Verlander required 31 pitches to get out of a scoreless first inning, it did not bode well for the kind of six-inning start he would complete.

“Our target today was 110 pitches,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “He threw four more than that, and that was pretty good.”
CC Sabathia, by comparison, threw 106 pitches in six innings for the New York Yankees.

Verlander threw a little more than one inning per start in the Grapefruit League this spring than he had in 2010, and did that by design. The idea was to have him that much more ready to go deep and be effective to start the regular season.
He led all American League pitchers with an 0.96 ERA in exhibitions.

“Coming out of the spring I had, this was not the results I expected,” Verlander said. “But I am somewhat pleased — especially after the first couple innings.”

He needed 66 pitches the first three innings, even with a 12-pitch second inning. But he settled down and required just 48 pitches for the final three innings.

“I thought I was throwing a little too hard in the first inning,” Verlander said.

He said it wasn’t a matter of too much adrenaline, though.

Verlander decided to “go for it” with short sleeves on a 42-degree afternoon, but running to the mound made him wonder about that.

“You come out of the dugouts with the heaters and get a blast of cold,” he said.

A three-run blast by Mark Teixeira provided all the runs New York mustered off him.

“I was trying to throw the fastball down and in,” Verlander said, “and threw it up and in. You tip your cap; he put a good swing on it.”

Verlander said he had trouble getting a feel for his signature curveball or changeup in the cold. But he was pleased with the two changeups he threw to Jorge Posada in getting the final out of his final inning.

He pumped his fist while running off the mound, leaving with the score tied in a game that presented plenty of challenges.

“Verlander was good,” Leyland said. “He was able to get ahead early, but wasn’t able to put people away … Justin made good strides. He wasn’t just raring back and throwing it. Overall, I thought that he was really good. I was real pleased with him. He did an excellent job, hardly allowed any hits (three) and allowed just a few (four) walks.”

“Opening day is a sign of a lot of good things for fans,” Leyland said. “Spring is here … It’s a happening for the fans, and some who come today won’t come to another game all year. But it’s the time of the year we go to work, and this is the first of a bunch of them.

“We have three opening days this year. They’ll be pumped up Baltimore (on Monday) and they’ll be pumped up in Detroit (on April 8).”

It was Leyland’s 24th opening day in the majors — with 20 as a manager and four as a Chicago White Sox coach for Tony La Russa.
But it still gets to him.

“I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it,” Leyland said of game strategy and the usage of the players.
And it’s special to the players, too.

“It’s like Christmas morning,” reliever Daniel Schlereth said.

Short hops
– It was chilly and rained on and off. “For both teams, the conditions were tough,” Leyland said. “And for the conditions, both teams did well.”

– Leyland said outfielder Brennan Boesch will start the next game on Saturday against Yankees right-hander A.J. Burnett. Left fielder Ryan Raburn will be out of the starting lineup.

– Detroit is 51-59-1 on opening days, and is in a 1-4 rut the last five years.

– Second baseman Will Rhymes got exasperated when home plate umpire Dale Scott would not ask third base umpire Dan Iassogna for help on a checked swing Scott ruled a swing and miss strikeout. “I didn’t care what the outcome is,” Rhymes said. “But you just have to ask for help.”

NEW YORK – As soon as Justin Verlander was done for the day, the Detroit Tigers froze up.

Verlander held the New York Yankees in check for six innings, throwing 114 pitches in short sleeves on a frigid afternoon, but Phil Coke served up a tiebreaking homer to ex-Tiger Curtis Granderson in the seventh and Detroit dropped its season opener 6-3 on Thursday.

“I just felt absolutely not right. Nothing else to blame but myself,” said Coke, scheduled to move into the rotation April 9. “You’ve got to do your job. I didn’t do my job today. I’m irritated with myself because of it.”

Third baseman Brandon Inge, normally a reliable fielder, committed a costly throwing error, and a pair of wild pitches by young relievers Ryan Perry and Daniel Schlereth led to insurance runs for New York.

“Their bullpen and the long ball is what did us in today,” Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. “I thought it was actually a decent game for the conditions. It was pretty rough.”

Victor Martinez singled in his first at-bat for Detroit, helping his new team build an early run, and Miguel Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly and scored twice. But by the time Mariano Rivera closed it out for a save, the final 10 Tigers hitters had been retired by New York’s imposing bullpen.

Granderson, traded to the Yankees in a December 2009 deal that sent Coke and Austin Jackson to Detroit, also made two terrific plays in center and homered in his third consecutive opener.

Jackson, coming off a strong rookie season, struck out three times in the leadoff spot. He also singled and scored.

Coke (0-1) was brought in to face Granderson in a lefty-on-lefty matchup to start the bottom of the seventh. Coke fell behind 2-0 and Granderson drove the next pitch into the second deck in right.

“Couldn’t throw a strike until he hit it out of the yard,” Coke said.

Said Leyland: “He just got behind Granderson and left no doubt what was coming.”

With the flags above the lights in right field whipping toward the foul pole, Mark Teixeira connected off Verlander for a three-run shot in the third.

“It was a fastball in. He did a pretty good job of turning on it. Not too many hitters can do that,” Tigers catcher Alex Avila said.

Slimmed down by 25 pounds after having surgery on his right knee this winter, Yankees starter CC Sabathia gave up six hits and three runs — two earned — in six innings. Making his third opening day start in three seasons with New York, Sabathia struck out seven and walked two.

Joba Chamberlain (1-0), Rafael Soriano and Rivera each pitched a perfect inning.

“We’ve got to score early in the game,” Cabrera said. “They’re tough.”

Verlander was making his fourth straight opening day start, most for the Tigers since Jack Morris went 10 in a row (1980-90). He was hoping to get off to a quick start after going 1-2 with a 5.29 ERA last year in April before finishing 18-9, and he altered his offseason workout routine to help accomplish that.

“Obviously, coming out of the spring that I had, this is not the result that I wanted,” Verlander said. “I felt pretty calm considering opening day, Yankee Stadium — it’s hard to keep your adrenaline in check.”

The right-hander reached 97 mph on the radar gun in the first, but walked Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez before striking out Robinson Cano with his 31st pitch of the inning.

Verlander gave up just two other hits, including Rodriguez’s one-out double in the sixth that hit the fence in right-center just above the 385-foot marker. He walked Cano, but struck out Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada with two deceptive changeups.

“I’m trying to change things around in April. Last April I wore long sleeves,” Verlander said. “The only issue when I felt it was really cold on my body was coming out of the dugout. They have heaters in there.”

Jhonny Peralta drove in his first run of the month. After going without an RBI in 66 spring at-bats, he hit a sacrifice fly in his first plate appearance to give Detroit the lead in the second inning.

Cabrera lined a single and Martinez hit a hot shot to shortstop that Derek Jeter couldn’t corral. The ball squirted into center for a base hit. Sabathia walked the bases loaded before Peralta flied out.

“We did center some balls pretty good off CC, especially early,” Leyland said. “We didn’t have a lot of luck with it.”

Detroit closed to 3-2 on Inge’s two-out single in the fourth and tied it on Cabrera’s sacrifice fly in the fifth.

NOTES: The last time these teams met on opening day in New York was 1966, with the Tigers winning 2-1. … Mike Mussina threw out the ceremonial first pitch. … The Tigers failed to homer for the first time in eight games at the new Yankee Stadium.

12 pitches. That’s all arguably the best closer ever needed to close to door on the Tigers on Opening Day. One of those pitches was sent a long way to center field off of the bat of Brandon Inge, but former Tiger Curtis Granderson capped off a nice game by making a running, over-the-shoulder grab for the second out of the inning. 

Rivera ended the game in fitting fashion by striking out Alex Avila looking. Fitting because it capped off a horrendous start to the season for Alex Avila (three K’s, passed ball, bad throw on a steal attempt, just bad, bad, bad, bad on a day he probably shouldn’t have even been playing.) 

Phil Coke picked up the loss for the Tigers. It’s interesting to note that he started last year 5-0 before picking up his first loss on July 17. Joba Chamberlain picked up the win for the Yankees and Rivera, of course, got the save. The Tigers actually had more hits than the Yankees today (6-5), but the long ball killed them, as four of the Yankees runs came off just two swings.

The Tigers are off tomorrow and pick up this three-game series with the Yanks on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. on FOX.

New York Yankees’ Mark Teixeira (25) follows through on a three-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers on opening day Thursday, March 31, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York. Photo: Frank Franklin II / AP

New York Yankees’ Mark Teixeira (25) follows through on a three-run…

New York Yankees catcher Russell Martin slides safely past Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila on Derek Jeter’s seventh-inning sacrifice fly in their opening day baseball game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, March 31, 2011 in New York. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP

New York Yankees catcher Russell Martin slides safely past Detroit…

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) delivers a pitch during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees on opening day Thursday, March 31, 2011, at Yankee Stadium in New York. Photo: Frank Franklin II / AP

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) delivers a…

Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera watches his sixth-inning sacrifice fly off New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia in their opening day baseball game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, March 31, 2011 in New York. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP

Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera watches his sixth-inning sacrifice…

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia pitches against the Detroit Tigers in their opening day baseball game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, March 31, 2011 in New York. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP

New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia pitches against the…

Former New York Yankees starting pitcher Mike Mussina throws out the ceremonial first pitch before an opening day baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, March 31, 2011 in New York. Photo: Kathy Willens / AP

Former New York Yankees starting pitcher Mike Mussina throws out…