DETROIT – When Comerica Park was at its best Wednesday afternoon – with a postseason-record 44,885 fans waving orange towels and shouting – Jake Rogers thought about the ballpark at its worst.

The Tigers catcher – who is considered a veteran in his fourth season with the team – has seen the club at its lowest ebb, with attendance figures matching 96- and 114-loss seasons.

But going through that made the atmosphere of the Tigers’ ALDS Game 3 win over the Guardians that much better to watch.

“I’ve seen it empty,” Rogers said. “I have. I can tell you I prefer that, every time. It was electric, one through nine, they were booing guys and cheering for us, that’s what you want as an opponent and as a home team. All those over 40,000 seeing fans waving orange towels and making them happy is what we want to do as a team.”

The Tigers had to play four playoff games away from home, two in Houston and two in Cleveland, before making their home playoff debut on Wednesday. That wait was short, however, compared to the decade Tigers fans had waited for playoff baseball in their city.

The long wait provided a lot of build-up to see what the playoff atmosphere would be like in Detroit, and Tigers fans did not disappoint.

“You knew it was coming,” Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson said. “You knew they were going to show up and be loud, and they didn’t disappoint. It feels like it’s so much fun for us to play in front of so many screaming people, and I’m sure it’s hard to play as a visiting team. So it definitely gives us an advantage, and yes, I’m super happy.”

Here’s what else Tigers players had to say after their win on Wednesday:

Matt Vierling at 7e-inning catch that ended the inning:

“I just try to be ready for the ball. I know (David Fry) likes to pull the ball, I know he tries to get the head out. I was just ready for whatever came my way and really didn’t think, I just had to react.”

Torkelson on his RBI double after an 0-for-14 start to the postseason:

“That’s baseball. It takes one swing, sometimes one swing, to feel what you want to feel, and right now wins are the most important thing, and it definitely feels good to contribute to those wins.

Rogers on the team’s mentality, one win away from the ALCS:

“A long time ago, when the chance of making the play-offs was 0.2 percent, you thought: ‘We have nothing to lose, let’s keep our heads down.’ It’s cliché, but let’s just keep winning, who knows what could happen? And here we are, one win away, and I think we still have that mentality.

Colt Keith on his approach to Game 4:

“I’m just going to go to sleep, come back and hopefully get some hits in and help this team win. Come here just like any other day and try to win.”

Brant Hurter on whether he could have imagined being the winning pitcher in a Tigers home game when he was in Toledo earlier this season:

“I would have been shocked. It didn’t seem like things were going that way, on either side, for the Tigers and the way I threw wasn’t great. So I think, yeah, I would have been a little surprised, but nothing is off the table in baseball either.

Torkelson on AJ Hinch’s management moves:

“We have so much confidence in AJ. He’s a mastermind at handling our pitching staff and handling this team. And we know that when he comes out, we trust every move he’s going to make. And it goes both ways. The guys who come in get the job done for him. So they also deserve a lot of praise.”

Hinch on his team’s offense:

“In October you are one step away from a completely different emotional response as a player. You come up with a big hit, you come up with a big walk, you move a bishop. You do little things offensively to help score runs, and you feel better about your day.