DETROIT — The bat met the ball, as it has so many times, with a sharp crack. And the man met the moment, decades in the making, then hours in the making, the legend officially bronzed on a brilliant day, in a perfect way.
Miguel Cabrera did something rarely seen, and the truth is, something we’ll likely never see again. Hit No. 3,000 was a simple, well-struck grounder to right field, the opposite way for mortal right-handers, the appropriate way for a player who has defied baseball metrics for 20 years. Not defined by a solitary trait, he’s deified for his ability to use everything — every type of swing, every spot on the diamond.
After three days of rain and cold, the Detroit skies cleared and Cabrera delivered the moment Tigers fans have been charting since the season began. When he punched a 1-1 pitch in the first inning off a fellow Venezuelan, Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela, the crowd leaped and roared as loudly as we’ve heard in a long time. Cabrera thrust a fist to the sky as he trotted to first, then held both arms aloft, flashing his classic smile. The first big hug came from Rockies shortstop Jose Iglesias, a former Tiger and fellow Venezuelan, who ran across the infield and practically leapt into Cabrera’s arms.
For days, Cabrera had politely and patiently explained how he’d dreamt about the milestone, how important it was to do in Detroit, how vital it was to actually win the game. When it was over and he became the seventh major leaguer in history to reach the 3,000-hit, 500-home run plateau, and did it in a 13-0 victory over Colorado, he was asked if the moment matched the dream.
“Ooof,” Cabrera said, exhaling deeply. “I’m still dreaming about that. To be able to see 3,000, really special, really amazing.”
Were you nervous?
“I couldn’t feel my legs in the first at bat,” he said, laughing.
Packing the house
There were nerves throughout the ballpark, not that anyone doubted Cabrera, 39, eventually would get the hit. But everyone wanted to be here when he did. His family was here, the huge crowd was here, the timing was as perfect as the weather. The Tigers would head out on a road trip after Sunday and you could see in Cabrera’s glistening eyes how much it meant to deliver the moment.
In the stands, you could see how much it mattered too. After Friday night’s rainout, fans gobbled up tickets for the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader and the crowd swelled so quickly, people clamored outside, stuck in the traffic and bustle. Squeeze your eyes and it was Tigers baseball circa 2006-13, when the game was the show and the park was regularly packed. This day it reached 37,566, the largest non-opening day crowd in five years.
They were here to honor Cabrera, and to be reminded of glory days that might soon return. After the hit, fireworks rocketed in center field and the crowd kept standing and cheering, while the Tigers poured out of the dugout and the bullpen to embrace their one-name star, Miggy. The Rockies stood respectfully to the side as Cabrera hugged his family, then pounded his chest and pointed to the crowd.
Cabrera became the first Tiger to reach 3,000 hits since Al Kaline in 1974. Incredibly, he’s only the third player to have 3,000 hits, 500 home runs and a career batting average above .300, joining Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. With his next double, Cabrera will have 600, joining Aaron and Albert Pujols in yet another exclusive group. And oh by the way, Cabrera is the only one among those stars to also post a Triple Crown season.
The numbers are hard to fathom. And if you think anyone will approach this level again, ha. Among active players, Robinson Cano has 2,630 hits but is 39. Nelson Cruz has 1,923 but is 41. Jose Altuve has 1,783 and is 32.
The unexpectedly poignant twist is, Cabrera himself struggles to fathom the numbers. He fought back tears several times during the week, especially when speaking about his friend Kaline, who died in 2020. Cabrera was determined to soak up every moment, to engage his teammates, to make it fun. All that was left was to get that last darned hit.
“The momentum built and the emotions built and every at-bat was just like a Game 7 of the World Series at-bat,” manager AJ Hinch said. “Everybody’s quiet, in their seats. Miggy was super nervous. For a veteran of 20 years who’s done everything in the game, it’s fun to watch him be nervous. It was awesome, I think the kid in him is realizing what it means.”
An icon amid icons
It felt like the fans and the star reached the same realization. The celebration continued all afternoon as the ballpark was awash in noise and love, thunderous ovations followed by heart taps from Cabrera. There was a curtain call in the second inning. There was a marvelous exclamation in the sixth, when Cabrera laced a bases-loaded single to center. Hit No. 3,001 produced two RBIs and gave the Tigers an 8-0 lead. When he left for a pinch-runner, more raucous cheers.
“Miggy has experienced everything,” Hinch said. “He’s seen this place at its height and at its lowest point, and he wants to be a part of something great again. He’s not naive, he knows the time is limited, but he also knows we have a much better team than we’ve had in previous years. … He’s tired of losing, tired of being at the bottom of the AL Central. He wants everybody to experience Detroit the way he remembers it at its peak. And that’s very important when you’re the biggest, baddest dude that has the most credibility in the building.”
For 15 seasons in Detroit, Cabrera has been the understated biggest, baddest dude, and it’s almost as if his milestones grew relatively unmarked by others in baseball. The numbers usually tell the story, but they can’t tell the whole story. Cabrera is much more than an icon of Detroit. He’s a legend in Latin America, and most of Venezuela was expected to be watching live Saturday.
Arguably, he’s the biggest icon in Detroit sports history, although you probably can put the list — Kaline, Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Barry Sanders, Ty Cobb, Isiah Thomas — in any order you wish. In a week or so, he’ll likely surpass Kaline’s hit total of 3,007.
Cabrera slugged a home run in his first MLB at-bat with the Marlins, won a World Series his rookie season, and was brought here in a blockbuster trade designed and demanded by late owner Mike Ilitch. The deal was a significant part of Ilitch’s legacy to the city’s sports history. With his late-career chase, Cabrera gave life to lore, awakening baseball souls in Detroit. The revival was underway when Cabrera arrived in 2008 but he ratcheted it with his aura and amazingly consistent production.
The atmosphere Saturday brought echoes of the past, when playoff contention was an annual event. Cabrera admitted it stirred memories of a time when crowds of 35,000 were common, and disappointments often intervened. He was the steely star for many years, humanized by injuries and other flaws, but never broken. He didn’t like to talk about himself or his accomplishments, not unless the Tigers won.
The 3,000 chase cranked up after he collected three hits against the Yankees Tuesday night. As the crowds grew louder, the emotions flowed. Cabrera admitted he wore sunglasses for an at-bat against the Yankees to hide watering eyes. An intentional walk denied him one more at-bat Thursday. The rain denied him Friday. When the sun rose Saturday, nothing was denying him.
Teammates practically run out of glowing things to say about Cabrera, about his clubhouse demeanor, which could flip from playful to purposeful in a flash. He’s helpful to the young hitters and has counseled prized rookie Spencer Torkelson. At the end of spring training, Cabrera passed his first baseman’s glove to Torkelson and assumed full-time DH duties. In the first inning Saturday, Cabrera figuratively turned over the power responsibilities, and Torkelson capped the rally with a three-run homer.
Day after day, reporters asked the youngsters what it was like to be playing alongside Cabrera as history beckoned. They couldn’t stop smiling.
“Great person, great player, great teammate,” Torkelson said. “It makes it a lot easier to root for a person when they’re as cool as Miggy.”
Some people might just have discovered the coolness, after years of watching the greatness. Hinch has had the top-step view for more than a year, and sounds like a kid himself.
“He’s got passion, he’s got a kid’s spirit to him, he’s got an edge to him and everything in between,” Hinch said. “He’s been able to live up to the moment, to be an icon. But the most important ingredient Miggy’s been able to maintain from Day 1 to year 20 is authenticity. And I’ll never forget that.”
We’ve never seen anything like it, and never will again. A baseball career, or any career, is a collection of moments. Eventually, almost always, Miggy delivers.
