Major League Baseball has been in existence for more than a century. Nearly 20,000 players have taken the field. Until today, 32 players ever amassed 3,000 hits.
With his single to right field in the bottom of the first inning, Detroit Tigers first baseman and designated hitter Miguel Cabrera became the 33rd player to join the club.
The 7th player in Major League history with 500 home runs and 3,000 hits. pic.twitter.com/7RtGWyl3Xv
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 23, 2022
"I think I might cry," Cabrera said earlier this week before a game against the New York Yankees.
Last August, Cabera was the 28th player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs in his career.
His milestone on Saturday puts him in even rarer air, as only seven players have ever had hit 3,000 hits and 500 home runs: Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, Rafael Palmeiro, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and now Cabrera.
Cabrera joined the Tigers in 2008 and was arguably the best all-around hitter in baseball for nearly a decade, winning back-to-back American League MVPs in 2012 and 2013.
He helped the Tigers reach the World Series in 2012, the same year he won the Triple Crown, finishing the season with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs. He was the first batter to win a Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.
Cabrera won a World Series in 2003, his first season in the league, with the Florida Marlins. In his first MLB game that year, Cabrera hit a walk-off home run.
If you weren’t convinced @MiguelCabrera was one of the best hitters in the history of baseball, this from @jaysonst will convince you! pic.twitter.com/IhZUrKfYz6
— Alex Avila (@AlexAvilaMLB) April 22, 2022
Photo by Eric Drost via Flickr
