KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Miguel Cabrera sat at a table with his teammates in the clubhouse following Tuesday’s 7-5 win over the Kansas City Royals. Javier Báez, who throttled two doubles and ended the game with a defensive gem, noticed reporters lingering and politely asked if they were waiting to talk to him.
A reporter pointed to Cabrera.
After some time, Cabrera leaned back in his chair and signaled he was ready to talk. The players at the table — Báez, Jeimer Candelario, Jonathan Schoop and Harold Castro — erupted with laughter.
“It’s like Rickey Henderson says, ‘When you go, you gotta go.’ You don’t think, you just go,” Cabrera said. “I always have that on my mind. Rickey says that, so you gotta do it. Why would you do something different?”
[ Wyandotte Street Art Fair starts Wednesday: Where to eat, drink ]
Cabrera, a future Hall of Famer, couldn’t contain his laughter as he revealed the inspiration for his rare stolen base at Kauffman Stadium. Henderson, a Hall of Famer, holds MLB’s all-time record with 1,406 steals.
In 1982, Henderson stole 130 bases.
The key to Tuesday’s win was a four-run seventh inning, but Cabrera stole the show. The 39-year-old designated hitter noticed the Royals were in the shift, so he surprised everyone by swiping third base and scoring for a 5-3 lead on a throwing error by catcher MJ Melendez.
“If you take your eye off anybody, they’re going to get it,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “Good throw, he’s out. That’s a pretty rough play to have to answer to in that particular situation. Unfortunately, the throw wasn’t there.”
It was Cabrera’s first stolen base since 2020 and just his second in a 725-game span from 2016-22. The 20-year MLB veteran now has 40 stolen bases in his career.
3,000 HITS: What makes Miguel Cabrera one of the greatest hitters ever? Just ask the pitchers he faced
500 HOMERS: How Miguel Cabrera’s epic 500-homer journey to history began in Venezuela
MIGGY GETS PERSONAL: Miguel Cabrera, one hit away from 3,000: ‘I think I might cry’
Cabrera, then 23, had a career-high nine steals in 2006.
“He saw something,” Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I guess the athlete in him broke out. It did ignite some fun in the dugout. We put some pressure on them, they made some mistakes and we opened up a lead that we needed in the end. But I don’t think anybody anticipated Miggy going, including me.”
Hinch didn’t wait to hear the first question in his postgame news conference before interjecting.
“Just ask me about Miggy,” he said.
Hinch smiled.
“I know that’s coming.”
Then, the skipper showed his playful side.
“Brilliant managing isn’t it, when you send Miggy.”
Hinch knew the Royals were in the shift, but he — like everyone else in the ballpark and watching on TV — didn’t expect Cabrera to crank up his speed and dash for third base. But there was Cabrera, all 270 pounds of him, getting a big jump on right-handed reliever Jose Cuas and taking off.
So, what did Hinch think as the play unfolded?
“Holy shit,” Hinch said.
Same.
TUESDAY’S WIN: Miguel Cabrera steals base in 7-5 win over Royals to snap four-game skid
Cabrera cackled on his way to home plate, and upon entering the dugout, he celebrated with his teammates.
“Pure speed and athleticism, it’s unbelievable,” catcher Eric Haase said. “Obviously, Miggy’s baseball instincts are very good. With the third baseman giving him so much, nobody picked him up until he was like three-fourths of the way to the base, so we were all laughing. Big smile on his face, just like a little kid playing sandlot baseball again. It’s hilarious, but that run ended up being huge.”
The four-run seventh inning started with Báez’s leadoff double. He scored on Bobby Witt Jr.’s one-out fielding error, which put Cabrera on first base. Cabrera moved up to second base on Cuas’ wild pitch, then stole third base and crossed home on Melendez’s throwing error.
Schoop and Spencer Torkelson added RBI hits for a 7-3 advantage.
Cabrera, an All-Star in 2022, is batting .287 in 76 games, producing without power and thriving with a .355 batting average when runners are in scoring position. He also seems to know when to steal a base, a testament to his baseball IQ.
“Don’t sleep on Miggy,” Báez shouted.
L.A. BOUND: Miguel Cabrera honored with special spot in All-Star Game: ‘It means a lot’
In April 2022, Cabrera became the 33rd player in MLB history to notch 3,000 hits. One month later, he secured his 600th double. He is one of three players in baseball history with 3,000 hits, 500 home runs and 600 doubles, alongside Albert Pujols and Hank Aaron.
A two-hit performance June 28 against the San Francisco Giants pushed Cabrera above Henderson — 3,055 hits — on MLB’s all-time hits leaderboard. He currently ranks No. 24 on the list, with 3,066 hits.
Cruising past Henderson was bound to happen eventually.
But the unexpected occurred Tuesday night.
The stolen base, thanks to Henderson’s advice, is another reminder of Cabrera’s greatness.
“There was a good opportunity,” Cabrera said. “We needed to make something happen. Thank God I was safe.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.