DETROIT – The $138 million Tigers opened with a thud.

Tony Pena Jr. hit a two-out, tiebreaking single in the 11th inning and the Kansas City Royals held on to beat Detroit 5-4 in Monday’s opener.

The big-spenders had a shot at a dramatic win with Clete Thomas on third base with only one out, but Edgar Renteria struck out and the game ended when third baseman Alex Gordon snared Placido Polanco’s grounder in the hole and threw him out.

Miguel Cabrera hit a homer in his Detroit debut, helping the home team go ahead 3-0 through five innings, but Justin Verlander had a lackluster start.

Leo Nunez (1-0) threw two hitless innings and Joakim Soria pitched the 11th for the save.

Denny Bautista (0-1) was an out away from pitching two scoreless innings, but Pena’s single to center brought home John Buck soon after backup center fielder Brandon Inge threw out Mark Teahen trying to score on a single.

After trailing 3-0, Gordon hit a two-run home run in the sixth and the Royals, with a $57 million payroll, scored two more while facing four pitchers in the seventh.

Carlos Guillen helped send the game into extra innings with a solo shot in the eighth.

The game drew a Comerica Park record crowd of 44,934, breaking the mark set in last year’s opener thanks in part to 778 new seats that were added to satisfy some of the growing demand.

The fans were in a good mood until Detroit’s ace got into trouble.

Verlander didn’t give up a hit for 3 2-3 innings in his first opening-day start, but finished with a shaky line: four runs, four hits and six strikeouts over 6-plus innings.

Verlander was replaced after he gave up a leadoff walk and a single in the seventh, choosing to go with reliever Jason Grilli.

Buck, the first to face Grilli, hit an RBI single to left. Mark Grudzielanek, the first to face Aquilino Lopez, hit a two-out, go-ahead single in the seventh.

Todd Jones pitched a perfect ninth and Bautista followed in the 10th.

Gil Meche, making his second straight opening day start in Detroit, allowed three runs, eight hits, four walks and struck out five over six innings. Brett Tomko followed and gave up one run over two innings, Nunez followed in the ninth.

Rays 6, Orioles 2

BALTIMORE – A whirlwind offseason of change carried over into opening day for Tampa Bay, when the Rays reversed an annoying trend at the expense of the Baltimore Orioles.

James Shields pitched seven innings of five-hit ball, Eric Hinske homered and the Rays coasted to a 6-2 victory.

Since its inception in 1998, Tampa Bay was 1-9 in road openers, including a seven-game skid that was the longest active run in the big leagues. But things are different this year, beginning with the team’s nickname – no longer are they the Devil Rays.

There are changes on the field, too. Manager Joe Maddon’s 25-man roster included 16 players in their first opening day with Tampa Bay, including six who weren’t in the lineup for the 2007 opener.

Hinske, the only non-roster invitee to make the team, hit a solo shot to right off Jeremy Guthrie to put the Rays up 4-2 in the fourth inning. He also drew a walk and scored twice.

Making his first opening day start, Shields (1-0) did a fine job in place of an injured Scott Kazmir. Shields walked three, struck out two and did not allow a runner to reach second base after the first inning.

Kevin Millar drove in two runs and Brian Roberts went 2-for-2 with two walks for the Orioles, who appear destined to displace Tampa Bay in the cellar of the AL East. In 10 seasons, the Rays have finished in last place nine times.

The announced attendance at Camden Yards was 46,807, a sellout, but the stadium was far from full. The multitude of empty seats might have been the result of the cool, damp weather.

More likely, it was a reflection of the lack of excitement for a season in which the Orioles have made a commitment to rebuild, a project that almost certainly will result in an 11th straight year with a losing record.

Indians 10, White Sox 8

CLEVELAND – Their ballpark may have a new name. Little else changed about the Cleveland Indians.

The defending AL Central champions won in familiar fashion at Progressive Field – home to so much late-inning drama when it was called Jacobs Field for the past 14 years. Casey Blake hit a three-run double in the eighth inning to give the Indians a 10-8 season-opening win over the Chicago White Sox.

It may not be known as the Jake anymore, but everything else seemed in place for the Indians, who won 23 times in their final at-bat last season.

With the score 7-7, Kelly Shoppach and Jhonny Peralta opened the eighth with singles off Octavio Dotel (0-1), who bounced back and got two quick outs. Franklin Gutierrez, who hit a three-run homer in Cleveland’s seven-run second, walked to load the bases.

Blake followed with a shot high off the 19-foot-high wall in left, starting a new chapter of memories for Indians fans, who have resisted the ballpark’s new corporate moniker.

Unlike last year, when a blizzard wiped out the home opener and Cleveland’s first homestand, the game was played in unexpected 60-degree temperatures but a strong tail wind that helped the teams combine for five homers, including a pair of two-run drives by Chicago’s Jim Thome off reigning AL Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia.

Jermaine Dye homered in the ninth off Cleveland closer Joe Borowski, last year’s AL saves leader who once again had pulses racing before retiring Joe Crede on a foul pop to get the save for winner Rafael Betancourt.

Twins 3, Angels 2

MINNEAPOLIS – With Torii Hunter watching from the other side, Carlos Gomez made a strong first impression in Minnesota.

Gomez formally replaced Hunter as the center fielder and raced around the bases, giving Livan Hernandez and the Twins enough offense to beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 with a snowstorm swirling outside the Metrodome.

The only one of four prospects fetched from the New York Mets in the Johan Santana trade who made the opening-day roster, Gomez went 2-for-3, stole two bases and scored two runs. He trotted home with the tiebreaking run in the fifth on a single by Michael Cuddyer against Jered Weaver.

Hunter went 0-for-4 in his return to the Metrodome.

Hernandez scattered seven hits, six of them singles, without a walk while giving up two runs in his first appearance as an American Leaguer. The 12-year veteran struck out one and, craftily mixing in a few of his 59 mph curveballs to supplement a fastball in the mid-80s, was only in trouble once.

The Angels, trailing 2-0, began the fifth with three straight singles. Maicer Izturis grounded into a double play, though, which got one in but squelched the momentum. Chone Figgins followed with the tying single, but Hernandez bounced back and retired the last seven batters he faced.

Weaver, thrust into the opening-day assignment with last year’s AL ERA leader John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar on the disabled list, was decent but not great.

He was taken out after striking out Gomez to start the seventh, finishing with eight hits, three runs, two walks and five strikeouts.

Mariners 5, Rangers 2

SEATTLE – After Erik Bedard left his Mariners’ debut, the Seattle offense woke up.

Adrian Beltre hit a go-ahead groundout in the sixth inning, Jose Lopez had a two-run double in the seventh and the Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-2.

Bedard was acquired from Baltimore to anchor a rotation that already included Felix Hernandez, Miguel Batista, Carlos Silva and Jarrod Washburn. Bedard allowed three hits, including Michael Young’s solo home run, in five innings and struck out five. He walked four, one short of his career high, and went to full counts on 10 of his first 18 batters.

The Mariners struggled against Texas ace Kevin Millwood. But they scored two unearned, go-ahead runs in the sixth inning on an error, a squibbed infield single and Beltre’s hustle.

Sean Green (1-0) allowed two hits in 1 2-3 innings behind Bedard. J.J. Putz, who saved 40 games and was an All-Star last season, got his first with a scoreless ninth.

Millwood (0-1) made his third consecutive opening-day start, tying a Texas record shared by Nolan Ryan and Charlie Hough.

Wearing short-sleeves, as always, while snow fell onto Safeco Field’s closed roof and a chilling wind blew inside, Millwood allowed only three hits and one runner past first base through five innings.

But Ichiro Suzuki sliced a wicked liner off the glove of Young at shortstop for an error leading off the sixth. Suzuki then broke to steal second base while Lopez squibbed a soft roller to the spot Ian Kinsler vacated to cover the steal attempt. Raul Ibanez then got a base hit, which scored Suzuki to tie the game at 1.

With Lopez at third and one out, Beltre hit a two-hopper that third baseman Hank Blalock tried to turn into an inning-ending double play. But Beltre beat Kinsler’s relay throw to first by a step. Beltre flashed his own safe sign while crossing the bag as Lopez scored the go-ahead run.