Author Lauren Roberts is never nervous in front of a crowd. But she was a bit worried about throwing out the first pitch at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday.

“In high school I played volleyball and soccer, but never baseball,” she said. “Last night I practiced.... I think I can get it down there. I am going to try to make it.”

Roberts, the 22-year-old author of the blockbuster Powerless YA series, grew up in Shelby Township, Mich. She still lives in metro Detroit. A lifelong Detroit Tigers fan, she was thrilled when the Tigers chose her for Major League Baseball’s first-ever Book Club Night.

A pre-game event was held across the street from the ballpark at Little Caesars Arena, home to the Detroit Red Wings. Many lucky fans got purple and white “Powerless” Detroit Tigers jerseys, a seat at the author’s hour-long q&a, and a ticket to the game. Some VIP fans also got autographed copies of Powerless, a romantasy series that has sold 5.5 million copies in 30 countries. It was self-published in 2023, then picked up by Simon & Schuster.

Roberts hoped that at least a few Detroit-based fans would attend the event. Within a day, all 900 tickets sold out; added spots also went quickly.

And they all came, all 1,152 of them. Inside the chilly ice arena, shy and bubbly fans, some with their parents in tow, packed the seats. Some tightly clutched their copies of Powerless. More than one girl was spotted reading. Roberts was introduced, and a moderator asked her questions. How did she write the book? Who will play Kai Azer in the upcoming film? Does she like books with love triangles? Behind her, arena workmen sprayed the ice with water, preparing for a hockey game. Asked whether she is sorry that her trilogy is ending, she said that it was time. “I feel I’ve grown up with Powerless and the characters,’’ said Roberts, who published the first book at age 19. “Something that changed my life is coming to a close.”

Amid the bittersweet sighs, everyone then streamed across the street to Comerica Park for the game.

While baseball and books may not seem a natural combination, the Tigers see it as a way to attract females ages 10 to 20, who rarely attend. Get them to come even one night and maybe they will come back, that’s the thinking. More MLB book club nights may be on the way.

Roberts sees the connection. “That’s how I am with baseball; I’m not very knowledgeable, I don’t keep up with stats or players, but there’s food, and you get to hang out and watch the game with your friends,” she said. “I think my fans are going to like it.”

A year ago, Roberts wrote down a bucket list of things she would love to do in her life. One of them was throwing out the first pitch at a Tigers game.

So with the sun shining, Roberts, her parents, brother, best friend, and assistant arrived at the park. There, she met the wives of Tigers pitcher Casey Mize and first baseman Spencer Torkelson. Both wives are big Powerless fans. Then it was down an elevator, through back hallways, down some stairs and out onto the vivid emerald baseball field. They gave her a baseball. She tossed it in into the air a few times, too late for last-minute practice. Someone escorted her to the pitcher’s mound. A big “Lauren Roberts Book Club Night” sign flashed on the massive scoreboard. Then, she threw a pitch. The baseball flew in a graceful arc, bounced very slightly, and neatly popped into the glove of Detroit Tigers player Mize.

Amid the clapping, Lauren Roberts smiled her thousand-watt smile. She waved. She really hadn’t been worried. She knew she could do it.