The last time he made a Major League start, he left the field here at Kauffman Stadium in the first inning last May 25 after allowing three straight home runs and base hits to six out of the seven batters he faced. His comeback Saturday afternoon wasn't a vintage Maroth outing, but it didn't have to be.

"[I] did enough to win," Maroth said after three Tigers home runs, including Gary Sheffield's first in a Detroit uniform, helped fuel a 6-5 win. "I wouldn't say that I pitched real well, but we scored more runs than they did, and that's what counts."

So does Maroth's health, but that was counted on already.

After making every scheduled Spring Training start and throwing every day he was supposed to throw, Maroth's return looked more like a formality than a feat. Yet given what he endured last year, trying unsuccessfully to rejoin the rotation in time for the stretch run and being left off the postseason roster after bone chips in his elbow derailed what was looking like a successful season, getting back still meant something.

He said it wasn't emotional, yet he couldn't help but have a smile on his face. He was back in his element -- the pitching mound, not the freezing cold -- and he's back into a routine. That's what he seems to enjoy most.

"To actually get out there in a regular-season game, it's good to be back," Maroth said. "Not necessarily the first one, just the regular season in general. There's a lot of anticipation just getting back. I'm glad we won the game, and I'm looking forward to a nice, long year."

The left-hander retired the side in order in his opening inning but had to deal with trouble in each of his four innings after that, while he tried to find his command. Reggie Sanders' two-run homer powered a three-run third inning that saw Maroth surrender four hits. That followed Esteban German's RBI single in the second.

Most Tigers said they weren't trying to win specifically for Maroth as much as they were simply trying to win period -- a reasonable approach considering the Royals had beaten them four straight times since the final weekend of last season. Yet the way the Tigers offense worked, they provided a major help for him. Every time the Royals seemed to gain some momentum, the Tigers answered.

After Kansas City shortstop Tony Pena Jr. made an acrobatic, rolling stop and throw to rob Placido Polanco of a would-be single in the first inning, Sheffield pulled the next pitch from Gil Meche (1-1) deep down the left-field line for a solo homer to open the scoring.

"I got a good pitch to hit," said Sheffield, who was 1-for-11 on the season entering Saturday. "And I think when you have success early, it breeds confidence in you. You can take all the rest of your at-bats with a little more comfort."

The Royals' three-run third had nullified a three-run Tigers rally in the top of the inning, when Curtis Granderson, Polanco and Sheffield hit consecutive singles ahead of a Magglio Ordonez sacrifice fly. When Detroit came back to bat with the game tied, Ivan Rodriguez hit the first pitch of the fourth inning into the Tigers bullpen for his first home run of the season.

"I'm an aggressive hitter," Rodriguez said, "and he just left me a good pitch to hit."

Maroth seemed to rebound from there, going more to his cutter and becoming a little more aggressive. He erased a leadoff hit-by-pitch in the fourth by picking off Ryan Shealy before racking up back-to-back strikeouts on John Buck and Pena. He turned a David DeJesus walk leading off the fifth into an inning-ending double play by inducing a Mike Sweeney comebacker, after Polanco hit the infield dirt to snare a Mark Grudzielanek line drive.

"When you pitch with a lead, you want to hold it," Maroth said. "We had the three-run lead. Obviously, they scored three runs to tie it, and then we came right back when Pudge hit the homer. It's almost like another chance."

Rodriguez appreciated the way he took advantage of it.

"A couple of innings he got in trouble, and he was able to get away with it," Rodriguez said. "He did a great job. He's a guy who, if he keeps the ball down, he can do the job. I was very pleased with his performance."

For Maroth, though, it wasn't the one performance that was important. As manager Jim Leyland pointed out, the biggest factor for Maroth is that he's healthy again, and that he doesn't have to worry about how he'll feel tomorrow or five days later when his turn in the rotation comes back around.

It's not about a comeback start for Maroth, but a comeback season. His wife and two children made the trip and braved the cold for his five innings, but they'll also be in Toronto for his next start on Thursday, and for as many trips as they can reasonably make to see him pitch.

When asked if it was good to get the first one out of the way, Maroth smiled.

"First one of many," he answered.