A crowd of 32,845 fans packed Comerica Park on Saturday in anticipation of Miguel Cabrera’s 500th home run.
They weren’t treated to the historic milestone, but the Detroit Tigers gave them one of their most exciting performances of the season. If there was ever a time for manager AJ Hinch to sell his team’s rejuvenated brand of baseball, it was Saturday night.
And the Tigers — three wins from a .500 record — delivered.
“I love the fact that our players are getting to witness what it’s like here in Detroit when there’s an environment like this,” Hinch said. “I’ve heard about it. People have talked about it. Anybody that’s been here for a long time saw it through the playoff years. We’re going to get back to that point, and the fans are going to love it.”
In the eighth inning, Dearborn Divine Child graduate Eric Haase broke a 4-all tie with a two-run bloop single into shallow left-center field, helping the Tigers (58-61) earn a 6-4 victory over Cleveland to reclaim second place in the American League Central.
JEFF SEIDEL: Tigers fans didn’t need a home run to show their love for Miguel Cabrera
THANKS, COACH: Why Matt Manning thanked Chris Fetter after throwing 98 mph fastball
Even when Cabrera exited in the eighth, replaced by pinch-runner Jacob Robson, the fans stayed locked in. Reliever Gregory Soto — a key component to the young nucleus, along with Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning, Akil Baddoo and others — struck out Franmil Reyes with a 99 mph fastball to end the game and pick up his 15th save.
Cabrera finished 1-for-2 with a single, a walk and a hit-by-pitch.
“I’m glad the fans care,” Hinch said. “There is a buzz in the ballpark. We’re trying to earn our way into being a good team again. We’re trying to learn how to win games like this, where you get the lead and it goes away, but we don’t get deflated, and the crowd can pick you back up.”
CANDY’S FUTURE: How Tigers think Jeimer Candelario fits into the future
CASTRO TALKS: An ‘important player’ for Tigers, Willi Castro stuck in dreaded sophomore slump
Saturday’s crowd was the largest at Comerica Park since July 24, 2019, when the Tigers hosted 33,735 fans for their game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Tigers — playing meaningful games in August for the first time since 2016 — are 49-37 since May and 18-10 since the All-Star break.
But Cabrera’s chase to No. 500 brought the fans to witness the culture change.
“That was so special for me and my teammates,” said Jeimer Candelario, who homered in the first inning for 2-0 lead and a 10-game hitting streak. “Having that support from the fans is special. Seeing the crowd, it motivates us more to have a really good game and get a W. They deserve it.”
Comerica Park topped its previous season-high of 31,624 fans in a 5-4 win over the Minnesota Twins on July 17 in Game 2 of a doubleheader.
“We want to show the fans of Detroit that when they support, good things can happen,” Candelario said. “They motivate us to play hard, run the bases hard and do the best we can so they can enjoy the game. That’s what we were doing tonight. We were excited.”
Evan Petzold is a sports reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.