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DETROIT – Miguel Cabrera was back in his element on Thursday, chatting with opposing players, smearing his jersey on the pitch and hitting field bombs at Comerica Park.
It was the first day of what could be a historic season for the Detroit Tigers slugger, and it couldn’t have started better.
Cabrera had a two-run homerun in the first inning and made a defensive save to save points in the fourth inning in the Tigers’ 3-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on opening day at Comerica Park.
Cabrera had long lobbied for a chance to play at first base again after being a full-time designated hitter since the start of the 2019 season.
New manager AJ Hinch made his wish come true, and on opening day no less made Thursday’s game even more fun for him.
“It was really nice to be back at the start for the first time in almost two years,” said Cabrera. “I hope I can be there more often because I like to play on first base.”
(Speaking of premieres, Cabrera’s post-game media Zoom call on Thursday was the first time he had agreed to speak in this format since the pandemic began. He has only given two interviews since then. : he answered pre-submitted questions at the end of last season and then made a phone call with local reporters during spring training).
Cabrera’s home run in the first round was particularly poetic as it happened in the middle of a heavy snow shower which made visibility difficult.
The ball just crossed the yellow line in right field and bounced off the pitch. With limited visibility, no one seemed quite sure what to do, so Cabrera slid on second base as a precaution. He climbed back up and continued his trot after being informed that the ball was out. (Video replay confirmed the call).
“I didn’t think too many guys were going to hit the ball out of the stadium today, especially on oppo,” Hinch said. “He’s a man strong enough to hit him through snow and wind.”
Cabrera said the Tigers knew they had to be aggressive against Indian starter Shane Bieber. For a few innings it worked, but Bieber settled in, started to locate his out-of-speed pitches, and ended up hitting a dozen batters in the wasted effort.
“You have to join him early if you want to join him,” Hinch said.
Cabrera’s presence was noticeable for reasons that had nothing to do with his game. As a DH he was forced to maintain his routine dialogue with opposing players in the dugout. Thursday, he was able to do it on the field.
Hinch said Cabrera was part of the Tigers’ “energy creation” on the ground and in the dugout.
Fans also appeared to be feeding off Cabrera, although there were only 8,000 in the stands on Thursday.
“I’ve heard a lot about ‘Miggy! Miggy! Throw me a ball, Miggy! Said Cabrera with a smile. “I said, ‘Come on, calm down, man. I know you’ve been away from the ballpark for a year, but let me play a bit. ”
Cabrera’s home run was the 488th of his career. He also has 2,867 hits. The 500 and 3000 milestones could be reached later this summer if he stays healthy and productive.
But Hinch was more impressed with Cabrera’s gloves in the fourth. He dove to his right to stop a Josh Naylor grounder and quickly threw on second base to send Franmil Reyes off.
“It saved a race,” Hinch said. “I mean, a ground ball goes by and the runner is going to go from second to the house. It’s not marked anywhere on a graph and you won’t really appreciate it unless you watch the game. You look at the score in the box and you can’t find it. But when you watch baseball and talk about winning baseball, it’s going to be games like this that are celebrated in the dugout and behind the scenes a lot more than they ever have been.
Tigers starter Matthew Boyd said Cabrera made “a huge difference in the game” on Thursday.
“Who knows what happens if that ball goes through the hole?” Then you have a home run in the opposite field against the defending Cy Young Award winner. It’s impressive. Miggy is the best. He is the straw that stirs the drink and keeps us going.
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