MIAMI — It’s difficult to overstate the impact of Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera on his native Venezuela.
The future Hall of Famer, who caught the eye of scouts as a teenager at a run-down ballpark in the La Pedrera neighborhood in Maracay, is the greatest baseball player in his country’s history. He spent this spring as Venezuela’s team captain in the World Baseball Classic.
Children feel honored to wear the No. 24 jersey in Little League.
Adults cry when they see him for the first time.
“I’m from Maracay, and my home team is Tigres de Aragua,” said Alex Goncalves, a 42-year-old fan wearing Cabrera’s jersey at Saturday’s quarterfinal game between Venezuela and the United States. “I witnessed the first season (in late 1999). Next to Simón Bolívar, we need a statue for Miguel Cabrera in Maracay.”
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Cabrera, one of the best players to ever swing a bat, is set to retire from his MLB playing career following the 2023 season. Signed by the Florida Marlins in July 1999, he has already played 2,699 games across 20 years in the majors. His body has been breaking down for the past half-decade, primarily because of chronic pain in his right knee, and he can’t produce like he could in the prime of his career.
It’s time for him to say goodbye.
His fans want to say thank you.
“That’s my childhood,” said Santiago Alvarez, a 19-year-old from Caracas, Venezuela. “That’s my favorite player. It’s a dream come true for all Venezuelans to see Miguel represent our country in his final season.”
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Venezuela lost to Team USA, 9-7, on Saturday at loanDepot Park in Miami, ending Cabrera’s WBC run. Now 39 years old, he is the only player to compete in all five editions of the international tournament, which began in 2006 before his fourth season in the majors. The proud captain supported his teammates from the bench; Trea Turner delivered a clutch grand slam in the eighth inning.
The atmosphere felt like the World Series.
A sellout crowd of 35,792 fans, probably 75% Venezuela supporters, packed the ballpark to watch an epic battle between two countries loaded with superstars. The Venezuelans easily outnumbered the Americans in the stands. Every fan wore their heart on their sleeve for nine innings. “This is life,” said Venezuelan reporter Mari Montes. “A very deep passion.” Many fans heard “Gloria al Bravo Pueblo,” the national anthem of Venezuela, over the sound system for the first time in a long time. For some fans, the moment brought tears to their eyes. They sang and danced in celebration. They waved flags and flung beer through the air.
And they expressed their admiration for Cabrera.
“You don’t know how happy I am to finally see him here after so many years of waiting,” said Román Ibarra, a 22-year-old from Caracas. “I’m finally seeing Miguel Cabrera here. This is my first game. You can’t even imagine how excited I am to see my country here and see Miguel Cabrera as the captain. When he came on the field, everyone was going crazy because we all love him. We all appreciate what he has done for our country.”
For the first time, Ibarra didn’t need an electronic device — like a phone, television or computer — to see Cabrera. Watching highlights of his favorite player are some of his earliest baseball memories.
David Contreras, a 21-year-old from Caracas, showed up to the WBC for Venezuela’s victory against the Dominican Republic. He also attended the games against Puerto Rico and the United States. Like Ibarra, Contreras saw his favorite player for the first time.
“I cried,” Contreras said. “To be honest, I cried.”
“He’s an idol,” Contreras continued.
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There have been 462 MLB players from Venezuela, more than any country besides the United States and the Dominican Republic. Numbers don’t lie, and among those players, Cabrera stands alone in almost every statistical category. He’s a living legend to his countrymen.
Venezuela manager Omar López explained it like this: “Not having Miguel Cabrera on the Venezuelan team would be like having nobody, even though we have (Jose) Altuve and Salvador Pérez.” López revealed Cabrera recruited his teammates and helped build the roster as an unofficial assistant general manager.
Cabrera, who turns 40 in April, went 1-for-9 with two strikeouts across two games — against current Tigers teammate Javier Báez, playing for Puerto Rico, and against Nicaragua — in his final WBC, one of many last experiences as he voyages through his final season.
“It’s definitely sad, but he deserves his own time for his family and himself,” Ibarra said. “He left his footprint in every single part of the game. Everybody looks up to him, and he’s going to be looked up to for years, for decades. I’m sure he will make it to the Hall of Fame.”
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Cabrera, who carried the Marlins to the 2003 World Series championship as a rookie, has more hits (3,088), home runs (507), doubles (607), RBIs (1,847) and wins above replacement (67.7) than any other player born in Venezuela. The 12-time All-Star won the Triple Crown in 2012 and American League MVP awards in 2012 and 2013.
He reached 500 home runs in August 2021, 3,000 hits in April 2022 and 600 doubles in May 2022. He is one of three players in MLB history with those accomplishments, alongside Albert Pujols and Hank Aaron. His .308 career batting average is better than Pujols (.296) and Aaron (.305).
Back in May 2015, Cabrera blasted his 400th home run to pass Andrés Galarraga for the most homers by a Venezuelan-born player. In May 2021, he collected his 2,878th hit to pass Omar Vizquel for the most hits by a Venezuelan.
“In the USA, it’s Mike Trout, Mike Trout, Mike Trout,” said one fan. “In Venezuela, it’s only Miguel Cabrera.”
He pointed to his friend.
“Who’s the best player from Venezuela?”
His friend said Luis Arraez (last season’s AL batting champion with the Minnesota Twins, and since traded to the Miami Marlins, who hit two homers against Team USA) and Jose Altuve (2017 AL MVP with the Houston Astros), but he didn’t understand the question. Once he understood — the best of all-time, not the best right now — he immediately changed his answer.
“Oh, Miguel Cabrera,” he said.
In Game 4 of the 2003 World Series, an up-and-coming superstar from Venezuela stared down New York Yankees starter Roger Clemens before hitting an opposite-field home run. Clemens and Cabrera — the veteran and the rookie — were separated in age by more than 20 years, but Cabrera won the intense matchup.
The Marlins won the World Series in six games.
“My favorite Miggy moment ever,” Alvarez said. “I wasn’t even born yet. As a Marlins fan, as a Miggy fan, it means a lot. My second favorite was his 3,000th hit. As soon as I saw Miggy make contact, I knew the ball would get through (the infield). I watched with my dad, and I started crying happy tears.”
“I wasn’t born at that time, but when he hit the home run and won the World Series with the Marlins,” said Santiago Colmenares, a 19-year-old from Maracaibo, Venezuela. “I’ve watched that many times, literally many times. Too many to count.”
Colmenares, who watched Cabrera play live for the first time in 2016, wore the No. 24 jersey for his Little League teams in Venezuela and spent his childhood emulating his favorite player. His father inspired his initial interest in baseball; Cabrera influenced his development on the field.
“I felt like Miguel Cabrera,” Colmenares said. “It was perfect. It was a dream for me just to wear his number. He is a hero, the best one, the GOAT (greatest of all time). He means everything to Venezuela.”
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Team USA manager Mark DeRosa described what he witnessed Saturday as a “hostile environment” at loanDepot Park in Miami — basically a road game despite playing in the United States. Before the game, he held a team meeting and encouraged his players to match the energy.
Cabrera stood in the clubhouse and held a team meeting of his own before Venezuela played its first game of the World Baseball Classic. “We are going to do it for our country,” he said. He took a step back from his role as a player, but his presence inspired his teammates and his fans.
“I know it’s his last year, but I want him to play more,” Contreras said. “I want him to play forever.”
Ibarra asked to send a message in Spanish to Cabrera.
It’s unlikely Cabrera reads his message, and even if he does, he probably won’t be able to track down the young fan to respond. Ibarra understands the odds aren’t in his favor, but he said he couldn’t live with himself if he missed out on the opportunity for his words to reach Cabrera, the greatest player to ever wear a uniform for the Venezuelan national team.
“Miguel, te queremos y apreciamos mucho. Gracias por todo lo que has hecho por nuestro país y esperamos que disfrutes tu retiro que te mereces. Eres increíble y siempre serás un ídolo.”
His message translated to English: “Miguel, we love you and appreciate you a lot. Thank you for everything you have done for our country and we hope you enjoy the retirement you deserve. You are incredible and forever an idol.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.