Camila Sosa
Today we have seen history not only of baseball, but also of the Latino legacy on MLB that has been on the rise for more than 20 years: Miguel Cabrera reaching 3,000 hits is not only an achievement for him in itself, it is also an achievement for his country, Venezuela, and something that every Latino can be proud of, knowing that representation at the highest level of the major leagues is more valid than ever.
Miguel Cabrera’s Deep Imprint on the Major Leagues
Only a total of 33 batters in history have reached 3,000 hits in their career, and El Tigre has the most recent precedent with Albert Pujols (2018), Adrián Beltré (2017) and Ichiro Suzuki (2016) the last cases prior to the Venezuelan to celebrate the record. Among Latinos, only seven have achieved this feat in more than a century, and Cabrera became today the first Venezuelan to enter the exclusive club of 3,000 hits.
From a more individual perspective, the 39-year-old veteran also became the seventh player to reach 3,000 lifetime hits and 500 homers, and is on his way to joining much more exclusive clubs: with 599 doubles so far, he could become only the third player to accumulate 500 home runs, 3,000 hits and 600 doubles along with Albert Pujols and the legendary Henry ”Hank” Aaron. What’s even more exclusive, by reaching his 600 doubles, Miguel would be the only player in history to have reached the aforementioned figures and also to have won the Triple Crown of batting among all the baseball players who have played in the MLB in history.
Despite his drop in performance and relevance largely because of his physical limitations, Cabrera’s career is a dream trajectory for any other player who has ever handled a bat at the professional level, and needless to say the legacy he leaves behind is one of the bests in the world. Miggy on his back, since his early days with the Florida Marlins: one of the most complete, disciplined and swinging hitters the major leagues have ever seen.
This remains true to this day, it shows in each of his appearances at the plate, even as the years go by, the technique of one of the most accurate and impressive hitters in baseball today. And we’re not mentioning the two MVP awards, the Triple Crown in batting, the 11 All-Star Game selections, the seven Silver Slugger awards, four batting titles and finally, the 2003 World Series. We could dedicate an entire book to Miguel Cabrera’s career, and eventually there will be one by someone else.
With two hits today against the Colorado Rockies, the Detroit Tigers‘ designated hitter helped the Central Division franchise to a 13-0 victory, leaving its current record at 6-7. On a spectacular day in Motown City, Miguel Cabrera became unforgettable for fans, cities, countries and an entire sport.
