By George B. Eichorn
He finally did it! Miguel Cabrera is in rarefied air after belting his 3,000th career hit on Saturday, April 23 against the Colorado Rockies at a packed Comerica Park.
Following a rain out April 22 at the ballpark, the two clubs scheduled a day-night doubleheader for Saturday. It didn’t take long for the large crowd to express its excitement unless you were one of those trapped in traffic or delayed at the concession stands.
Right fielder Robby Grossman led off the bottom of the first inning with a single. Left fielder Austin Meadows was next up. The fever pitch hit huge proportions as Miggy strode to the on-deck circle, following Meadows in Manager AJ Hinch’s lineup. Meadows grounded into a fielder’s choice with Grossman out at second base.
Thunderous cheers reigned as Miggy was next to hit. Several fans had made posters with 2,999 on them. The Tigers had their own outfield collection of numbers that read 2,999 plus another for his 502 home runs. How ironic as a fellow Venezuelan was pitching for the Rockies – Antonio Senzatela – while the catcher was Elias Diaz, also Venezuelan. The home plate umpire was Tripp Gibson.
Pitch one to Miggy was a four-seam fastball clocked at 94 miles per hour. He fouled it off. The second pitch was another four-seamer at 95 mph that was outside the strike zone, making it a 1-1 count. Pitch three was the real deal for Cabrera, yet another four-seam fastball at 94 mph, as the Tiger great singled sharply to right field – the opposite-field – for his 3,000th hit.
The crowd 37,566 at Comerica Park were part of history as Miggy joined Tiger greats Ty Cobb and Al Kaline in recording their 3000th hit playing in a Detroit uniform. He became the 33rd member of the 3,000-hit club and only the seventh big leaguer with 500 dingers and 3,000 hits.
Tiger first-base coach Gary Jones was the first to extend congratulatory greetings and Miggy’s ex-teammate and fellow countryman Jose Iglesias of the Rockies raced from his shortstop position to congratulate his friend.
The 39-year-old slugger had reached this significant milestone following his August 22, 2021 500th career home run in Toronto.
Play was halted as his Tiger teammates raced to congratulate their slugger. His family assembled in foul territory near Detroit’s dugout. This was as historic a moment that the Detroit fans had seen in a long while.
“I couldn’t even feel my legs in the first at-bat,” Cabrera admitted after the game, won by Detroit 13-0. Miggy was two-for-four with 2 RBI and a run scored.
As a Triple Crown winner, four-time batting champion, 11-time All-Star and two-time Most Valuable Player, Miggy is indeed a certain Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. With five years as a Marlin in Miami and now in his 15th season in Detroit, the weight of the elusive 3,000th hit was lifted from his shoulders.
Tigertown erupted for its hero on this bright sunny Saturday. The cheers were long and frequent for Miguel Cabrera as continued his assault on the baseball record books.
