Major League Baseball

RoboCop throws out first pitch before Tigers-Blue Jays game

Published Jun. 3, 2014 7:42 p.m. ET

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DETROIT -- For a RoboCop, you might have thought that his first pitch would go through the catcher to the backstop.

That's what Tigers outfielder Rajai Davis predicted before it happened Tuesday night at Comerica Park.

"A Robo-arm strike, that's what I'm predicting," Davis said. "He's got it in him, I think he's got the ability. I think he'll do it right. And I think he'll do it tonight because tonight's the night."

RoboCop appeared at the ballpark to commemorate the DVD release of the latest "RoboCop" movie.

Maybe Davis could have given RoboCop a lesson because the throw bounced on the way to Davis, who was ready at home plate to receive it.

Davis had a chance to meet RoboCop before the Tigers took batting practice.

"I did make a new friend," Davis said. "Are you talking about flat, black RoboCop? He looks real intimidating, especially when he's not smiling. Wow, very scary."

Although RoboCop was in silent mode at the ballpark, Davis said he got the crime fighter to open up a bit.

"I actually get people -- things -- to talk, even when they're not supposed to talk," Davis said. "Somehow I have that thing in me to draw it out of them. Very few words, though. It was a really nice experience, having RoboCop out there. The real RoboCop. That's what I call him anyways."

Max Scherzer was just 3 years old when the original "RoboCop" came out in theaters in 1987.

"I was very young when I saw it," Scherzer said. "I was always called RoboCop because (of) my eyes so they always thought kind of a Bruce Wayne-Batman type of thing for me."

Scherzer has one blue eye and one brown eye. 

Davis was 7 when the first movie came out. 

"Actually I watched that movie, I came up on that movie," Davis said. "That was one of my all-time favorite movies, RoboCop. I wanted to be like RoboCop when I grew up, except the fact that I found out that RoboCop doesn't like guys who are thieves. I came up to be a pretty good thief, stealing a lot of good bases. Me and RoboCop, we kind of butted heads a little bit out there. That was the big problem we had in our meeting today."

Davis is second in the American League with 16 stolen bases, which is legal in baseball.

"That's what I was explaining to him, that this is actually for a good cause," Davis said. "I actually give the bases back at the end of the day. He didn't know that, so I made that clear to him."

Someone suggested that perhaps Davis could have challenged RoboCop to try to stop him on the base paths.

"The thing is, he had all that metal on, so I didn't want to get one of those in my face or in my already sore body," Davis said. "I figured, let's just go for the peaceful way and we'll be OK. That's what I figured anyway. It seemed to work out."

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