DETROIT — Sitting on 2,999 after going 0 for 3 with an intentional pass Thursday, then enduring the rainout Friday, the big man did not make the folks wait long on Saturday.
On a warm, beautiful afternoon, an announced crowd of 37,566 packed Comerica Park and were standing in the first inning when Miguel Cabrera punched the third pitch he saw from Rockies right-hander Anthony Senzatela into right field — career hit No. 3,000.
The crowd erupted and his teammates streamed onto the field, mobbing him at first base. Cabrera is the seventh player to amass 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, and one of just three (Willie Mays and Hank Aaron) to reach those totals with a career batting average of .300 or better.
It was an emotional moment, clearly, for Cabrera, who shared a hug with his mother, wife and two children before play was resumed.
It also seemed to fire up the Tigers, who rode three four-run innings to a 13-0 romp over the Rockies in the first of two games Saturday.
Rookie Spencer Torkelson capped the four-run bust in the first with a booming three-run home run to right field, his third of the season.
Harold Castro, a fellow Venezuelan, celebrated Cabrera’s milestone with a four-hit day — the third of his career. Robbie Grossman contributed three hits on the day, his second straight three-hit day. And Cabrera gave an encore — ripping a two-out, two-run single up the middle in the sixth inning for hit No. 3,001 (passing the late Pirates great Roberto Clemente).
He was lifted for a pinch-runner and jogged off the field to a full-stadium standing ovation.
Well-deserved.
"Seeing Miguel grow from a teenager taking batting practice on neighborhood fields in Venezuela to becoming one of the best players in baseball history has been one of the great joys of my life," Tigers general manager Al Avila said.
"His humility, passion for having fun and genuine love of the city of Detroit are completely unmatched and joining the 3,000 hit club only strengthens his standing as one of the game's all-time greats."
The Tigers also got an inspired performance from left-hander Tarik Skubal, who shut out the best offense in baseball over six innings.
The Rockies came in leading the majors with a .281 team average, a .437 slugging percentage and a .781 OPS. But Skubal was unfazed.
He cruised through the first five innings, allowing just two singles. He used his five-pitch mix expertly, working off a lively four-seam fastball (94-96 mph) that got five whiffs on seven swings. His change-up was effective against a predominantly right-handed hitting Rockies lineup, too.
His only stress came in the sixth, when the Rockies loaded the bases with one out on three singles. But after a visit from pitching coach Chris Fetter, Skubal struck out Kris Bryant with a 95-mph heater and got former Tiger C.J. Cron to foul out to first baseman Torkelson.
Impressive work.
The Tigers broke the game open with another four-run flurry in the sixth. Akil Baddoo delivered a two-out RBI single off left-handed reliever Ty Blach. Cabrera’s single plated two more and Jeimer Candelario knocked in the fourth with an opposite-field single.
Austin Meadows ripped a two-run single, one of five base hits the Tigers parlayed into four more runs in the seventh.
The Rockies own an unusual historical distinction. Of the last nine players to reach the 3,000-hit plateau, four have done it against the Rockies.
