DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera’s chase for his 500th career home run returned to Comerica Park and drew a crowd Friday night, but it’ll go on another day. Zach Plesac held the Tigers to two runs, including an Eric Haase solo homer, over 7 2/3 innings, allowing Ernie Clement’s first two Major League homers to rule the evening as Cleveland sent Detroit to a 7-4 defeat.
What was already a big sports night downtown with the Tigers and Lions playing across the street from each other grew bigger when Cabrera returned home with 499 career homers, having rested Thursday in Baltimore. An announced crowd of 22,107 included packed sections in right field that filled up the aisles every time Cabrera stepped to the plate.
The crowd all over the ballpark chanted “MIG-GY” as Cabrera stepped to the plate for his first at-bat. He struck out on a curveball, part of a string of 11 consecutive batters retired by Plesac following Robbie Grossman’s leadoff double.
Cabrera’s fourth-inning fly ball off Plesac drew some reaction before it fell harmlessly to Myles Straw in center. Cabrera led off the sixth inning with a groundout to third.
Plesac left the game with two outs in the eighth for veteran reliever Bryan Shaw, whose single allowed to Jonathan Schoop extended the inning for Cabrera to get one more at-bat with a runner on. Though Cabrera has eight career hits off Shaw, none of them were home runs. They battled for seven pitches this time, with Cabrera fouling off a couple fastballs he seemingly had timed, before lining out to center.