DETROIT — Jack White received a special surprise at Comerica Park on Wednesday when actor John C. Reilly sang "Happy Birthday" to the rocker on the occasion of White's 50th birthday.

Reilly, a friend of White's — he appeared in White's music video for Archbishop Harold Holmes, released last month — sang in a crooner's voice to White, who was seated in a box at the Tigers' contest against the Tampa Bay Rays. White, joined by his wife, Olivia Jean, and his mother, Teresa Gillis, smiled and covered his face with his hands as Reilly sang.

Reilly, who also threw out the game's first pitch, sported a Tigers jersey with Sinski on the back, a reference to Gus Sinski, the fictional Detroit Tigers catcher he played in Sam Raimi's 1999 baseball drama, "For Love of the Game."

Before leaving the field, Reilly posed for a picture with Tigers mascot Paws, who held up a sign reading "Did we just become best friends," a reference to "Step Brothers."

The Chicago native and "Chicago" Academy Award nominee was later asked about his singing voice when he joined Tigers commentators Jason Benetti and Andy Dirks in the play-by-play both during the bottom of the third inning.

"I've spent my whole life trying to sing like myself. I think I've finally got there," said Reilly, 60.

When asked what he liked about White, Reilly called White "a really solid family guy."

"You might see Jack as a rock star, but he definitely focuses on family. I think that's really cool," he said. "Something we both share, I think."

While in the booth, Reilly also talked about how he used to do play-by-play announcing for his kids' baseball games, and did a little play-by-play action while announcing the at-bat by Colt Keith, whom he nicknamed "Colt 45" on the spot.

Keith flew out to centerfield, which ended the inning.

"That will retire the sides, and that will retire John C. Reilly, who's gonna go back to drinking beer in Jack White's skybox," Reilly said, as he exited the booth.

White appeared as Elvis Presley in "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," the 2007 comedy starring Reilly as faux-folk singer Dewey Cox.

In 2011, Reilly released a pair of singles on White's Third Man Records label.

White is due to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later this year along with his fellow White Stripes bandmate, Meg White. The ceremony will be held in Los Angeles in November.

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