DETROIT -- Comerica Park has had several alternate identities since it became the Tigers’ home in 2000. Some have called it 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.
Starting next year, the Tigers’ ballpark will have a new formal name: Fifth Third Park.
The Tigers and Fifth Third Bank announced the name change at a Monday afternoon news conference on the field.
The change had been expected for months ever since Fifth Third Bank announced its merger with Comerica Bank, the ballpark’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 left field.
The Fifth Third name is already familiar in the Tigers organization. The Toledo Mud Hens, the Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate, have played at Fifth Third Field since it opened in 2002. Their High-A affiliate, the West Michigan Whitecaps, played in Fifth Third Ballpark for about 20 years before Lake Michigan Credit Union became the sponsor of LMCU Park in 2021. The Dayton Dragons, the Reds’ High-A affiliate, also played at a ballpark called Fifth Third Field from its opening in 2000 until '20.
Fifth Third Park avoids such an overlap. Comerica Bank’s original naming rights deal was extended in 2018 to run through 2034.
Signage around the ballpark will be updated during the offseason. The Tigers are scheduled to open the 2027 season at home against the White Sox on Thursday, March 25.
Just nine Major League teams have played longer in their current home without a name change than the Tigers at Comerica Park:
Baltimore Orioles (Oriole Park at Camden Yards)
Boston Red Sox (Fenway Park)
Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field)
Colorado Rockies (Coors Field)
Kansas City Royals (Kauffman Stadium)
Los Angeles Angels (Angel Stadium)
Los Angeles Dodgers (Dodger Stadium)
Pittsburgh Pirates (PNC Park)
Tampa Bay Rays (Tropicana Field)
The Arizona Diamondbacks underwent a similar merger-based name change at their home when Bank One Ballpark became Chase Field in 2005.