DETROIT — The book on Tigers catching prospect Bryan Holaday has always been a good defensive catcher who might hit a little bit.

Thursday, his bat showed up in a big way.

The rookie hit his first career home run in the third inning, a no-doubter into the bullpen in left field. He rounded the bases with a huge grin on his face.

“I was running around the bases, trying to keep it in, but I was struggling toward the end,” he said.

He headed into the dugout, and got a handshake from manager Jim Leyland, but then — as is tradition — was roundly ignored by his teammates.

“We gave him a little bit of the silent treatment when he came back into the dugout,” Leyland said. “That’s kind of a ritual.”

Then his teammates piled on, hugging and high-fiving. Three innings later, he added an run-scoring infield single for his second career RBI.

“All the guys were tickled for him. ... We were thrilled for him. He’s such a good kid. To get his first one, that had to be a big thrill. He had a big smile,” Leyland said. “Not enough money to pay for the smile he had on his face when he came to the dugout, I can tell you that.”