Let me just first say: THANK CATS. Not that I object to watching baseball games with a bit of stress– it would be difficult to be a Tigers fan if so– but it was starting to get a bit agonizing, watching Miggy come up to bat with 499 home runs. He was so clearly ready to just be done with it. Opposing pitchers were desperate to not be the guy who would enter the record books for this one. Fans were wasting untold amounts of cell phone storage space since apparently 2/3rds of the people in any given ballpark felt the need to try to record video of each and every Cabrera at-bat.
It has been fun to watch Miggy chase #500, but it is something of a simple relief to finally get there.
Miggy becomes the 28th player, in the history of the game of baseball, to hit 500 home runs. He’s the first to do it as a Tiger.
B@lly Sports had prerecorded a number of congratulatory messages for Cabrera from Detroit Baseball Dignitaries, including Jim Leyland in fully mirrored sunglasses and a loudly patterned shirt, and Justin Verlander. Verlander mentioned that he wanted a memento of the occasion, even if that had to be Cabrera’s underwear. Sometimes baseball gives us these little gifts, like the image of some poor clubhouse attendant perhaps photographing Cabrera holding up a pair of his own underpants, so he can text Verlander proof that the item he will soon be receiving in the mail is authentic. I don’t think this will actually happen, but Justin Verlander has created for us a universe where it might, and that is to be celebrated.
Congrats to Miguel Cabrera for finally hitting his 500th home run. Congrats to all of us for surviving the march to 500.
Here’s hoping the 3,000th hit will come a bit easier.