He didn't have to. The Cleveland Indians slugger proved he can still do it, despite one lackluster and unhappy season in Detroit. He spoke back with his bat. He didn't make any gestures toward the fans or even appear to notice that he was being jeered by a crowd, announced at 15,639 but probably closer to 10,000. But I concentrated on my game.
Fans are fans.
He hit .289 last year with 22 homers and 67 RBIs, way down from the statistics that earned him two AL MVP awards in Texas. Gonzalez played like the player he was with the Rangers and like the player the Tigers hoped he would be when they traded for him before opening their new stadium last season. He had a bad year last year, that's all there is too it. It was a good effort, we tried to make it work, it didn't work. The Indians took a 4-0 lead in the fourth and held onto the victory after the Tigers scored one in the fifth and two runs in the seventh, leaving two on base.