Boesch has no hard feelings in return to Detroit

DETROIT -- This was definitely not the way Brennan Boesch anticipated soaking in the Tigers' home opener. It probably wasn't the way he figured on getting his first start as a Yankee, either.

Boesch sounded ready to adjust.

"It's great. It's kind of a good storyline for me," the new Yankee right fielder told reporters Friday morning from the visiting clubhouse at Comerica Park. "I'm sure when I'm older, I'll look back and kind of relish this moment, because my first start in a Yankee uniform against Detroit is pretty cool, and Opening Day for Detroit, too. It's going to be a great day, and I'm excited."

Boesch's history against Tigers starter and ex-teammate Doug Fister -- 7-for-12 with a home run and three RBIs in 2010 and '11 before Fister's trade to Detroit -- probably didn't hurt, either.

It was Boesch's third Tigers home opener, but his first time being introduced on the visiting side. He received arguably more than his fair share of boos last year during a struggling season that ended with him on the bench and eventually off the postseason roster.

When the Tigers tendered Boesch a contract last offseason, his chances of making the Opening Day roster seemed long. Still, he had no regrets over the way his spring played out, from a mid-March release from the Tigers to a one-year contract with the Yankees a couple of days later.

"It's not like I got sent to Erie. I'm playing for the Yankees," Boesch said. "Can't really ask for more than that. It's just a new chapter in my career."

Boesch echoed his remarks from last month that he appreciated the Tigers' decision to release him in mid-March rather than wait until the end of Spring Training. It was a decision that actually cost him money, since it meant the Tigers owed him just one-sixth of his salary rather than one-fourth, but his $1.5 million contract with the Yankees made up a good part of the difference from his $2.3 million salary he was due to make in Detroit.

"I'm just looking forward to being a Yankee," Boesch said. "It's been great since I've been over here. Went from one classy organization to another. It's pretty cool."