The Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan (US) has had several alternate identities since it became the Major League Baseball (MLB) team Detroit Tigers’ home in 2000. Some have called it the Comerica National Park for its spacious dimensions. Some fans simply came to call it Comerica, or abbreviated it to CoPa, as they grew comfortable with it over the years.
Formal Name
‘mlb.com’ stated that starting next year the Detroit Tigers’ ballpark will have a new formal name: The Fifth Third Park.
The Comerica Park is an open-air baseball stadium in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It has been the home of the Major League Baseball (MLB) team Detroit Tigers since its opening in 2000. It was built in the retro-classic style and has a seating capacity of 41,083.
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit (US). The Tigers compete in the Major League Baseball (MLB) as a Member club of the American League (AL) Central Division.
Name Change
‘mlb.com’ further stated that the Detroit Tigers and the Fifth Third Bank announced the name change at a presser held on the field.
Cincinnati (US)-based the Fifth Third Bank works to improve the lives of their customers and the well-being of their communities. Since its founding in 1858 they have been committed to creating a better financial experience by empowering the customers and the clients to achieve what matters most.
Script Sign
The change had been expected for months ever since the Fifth Third Bank announced its merger with the Comerica Bank, the Comerica Park’s longtime corporate sponsor, last year. The merger came shortly after Comerica’s name replaced the light-up Tigers script sign atop the giant videoboard beyond the left field.
Fifth Third Name
The Fifth Third name is already familiar in the Detroit Tigers organization. The Toledo Mud Hens, the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate (a professional Minor League Baseball [MiLB] team that operates at the highest level of development sitting directly one step below the Major League Baseball), have played at the 10,300-capacity Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio (US) since it opened in 2002. Their High-A affiliate (the third-highest level of Minor League Baseball), the West Michigan Whitecaps, played in the 10,000-capacity Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park, Michigan, for about 20 years before the Lake Michigan Credit Union (a large member-owned financial institution based in Michigan) became the sponsor of the 8,942-capacity LMCU Park (earlier known as the Fifth Third Ballpark) in 2021. The MiLB team Dayton Dragons, the MLB team Cincinnati Reds’ High-A affiliate, also played at a ballpark called the Fifth Third Field (now Comerica Park before a recent rebranding announcement to Fifth Third Park) from its opening in 2000 until 2020.
Overlap Avoided
The Fifth Third Park avoids such an overlap. The Comerica Bank’s original naming rights deal was extended in 2018 to run through 2034.
Ballpark Signage
The signage around the ballpark will be updated during the offseason. The Detroit Tigers are scheduled to open the 2027 season at home against their peer team – the Chicago White Sox – on March 25th.
Just nine Major League teams have played longer in their current home without a name change than the Tigers at the Comerica Park:
- Baltimore Orioles (The 42,455-seat Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland);
- Boston Red Sox (The 37,755-seat Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts);
- Chicago Cubs (The 41,649-seat Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois);
- Colorado Rockies (The 50,144-seat Coors Field in Denver, Colorado);
- Kansas City Royals (The 38,053-seat Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri);
- Los Angeles Angels (The 45,517-seat Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California);
- Los Angeles Dodgers (The 56,000-seat Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California);
- Pittsburgh Pirates (The 38,747-seat PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania); and
- Tampa Bay Rays (The 25,025-seat Tropicana Field in St. Petersburgh, Florida).
The MLB team Arizona Diamondbacks underwent a similar merger-based name change at their home when the Bank One
Ballpark became the 48,330-seat Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2005.
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