Miguel Cabrera has reached a historic home run milestone to solidify his Hall of Fame career. On Sunday, the Detroit Tigers star hit his 500th career home run becoming the 28th player to reach that mark. Cabrera hit the homer off of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Steven Match, and the home run ended an eight-game homerless streak.
“Last week in Detroit was tough. It was the first time in five, six years I see the crowd like that excited with a lot of energy,” Cabrera said, per MLB.com. “It was nice to see a lot of fans. It was nice to see energy back in Comerica Park. There were a lot of things going on in my mind, because I want to do it in Detroit. But it’s tough to hit home runs over there.”
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The 28th player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs.
Congrats, @MiguelCabrera! pic.twitter.com/ajmOAbVeZg
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 22, 2021
The home run ball was caught by Tigers bullpen catcher Tim Remes, and he returned it to Cabrera. “To see what Miguel is doing, night in and night out, chasing milestones and delivering special moments for not only all of our wondering Tiger fans but also his teammates, has been just incredible,” Christopher Ilitch, who succeeded his late father, Mike Ilitch, as Detroit’s team owner, said, per USA Today. “I think everybody is excited about it. It’s brought a level of respect for the tradition of the game and what Miguel has done to put his place in history in this sport.”
Cabrera joined the Tigers in 2008 after spending his first five MLB seasons with the Florida Marlins. In his career, Cabrera has been named an All-Star 11 times and AL MVP twice. He made history in 2012 when he became the first player since 1967 to hit for the Triple Crown. Cabrera has a chance to reach another milestone before the end of the season as he needs just 45 hits to reach3,000 for his career.
Miguel Cabrera is 1 of 4 players in the 500-HR club who also hit for the Triple Crown, won a World Series title and an MVP award, along with Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle and Frank Robinson.
No one in this group has 3,000 career hits, a club Miggy is 45 away from. pic.twitter.com/x7fk5ZvHfE
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 22, 2021
“Congratulations Miguel Cabrera on your 500th career home run,” Christopher Ilitch said in a statement. “As the first player in the 121-year history of the Detroit Tigers to accomplish this amazing feat, our organization is excited, proud and thrilled to join you in celebrating this historic moment. We thank you for the excitement you have brought to the game and the memories and joy you have brought to our fans. And all of us are rooting for you in the chase for your next milestone, 3,000 hits!”
