Miguel Cabrera sat in a corner of the Detroit Tigers’ lighter and brighter remodeled clubhouse Thursday morning at Comerica Park. Everything is new in the clubhouse. New entryway, new paint, new weight room, new manager’s office, new kitchen. You name it. A fitting change for the team’s home opener.
Even Cabrera has a new spot. After years of sitting at the first locker near the entrance to the clubhouse, he has relocated clear across the room, catty-corner 100 feet away from his old neighborhood, where new blood has moved in and youngsters Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson can sit next to each other and grow together.
But Cabrera is still the star — and the only star — on this team. As he was getting ready for his final home opener, in his 21st and final season, reporters cautiously approached his locker and tried not to spook him like, like kids afraid of scaring off an anxious puppy.
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Cabrera embodied the spirit of the day, and his new digs. He was lighter and brighter and willing to share that blend of wisdom and wistfulness that he has rarely shown publicly. Of course, he just had to sneak in a quick, playful jab and tell reporters he moved lockers to get away from us.
“I appreciate this moment because not too many guys they get a chance to say goodbye,” he said. “They don’t get a chance to say, ‘Oh, it’s going to be my last year.’
“I would say thank God because he gave me all this good opportunity to enjoy this moment. So I’m happy for this moment. I’m not sad, I’m happy because it’s been a good 21 years in the big leagues. Hopefully they give me a chance to play and hopefully I do my job.”
Yes, he got his chance. Manager A.J. Hinch made sure of that. And Cabrera delivered. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI single off Boston left-hander Chris Sale in the third inning that gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead before they fell, 6-3, to the Red Sox before a sellout crowd of 44,650.
It was the definition of a bittersweet day for Cabrera, who was surprised by the team in a pregame first-pitch ceremony that included Hall of Famers from Detroit’s three other pro franchises: the Lions’ Calvin Johnson, the Red Wings’ Nicklas Lidstrom and the Pistons’ Ben Wallace. Although, I have to allow that Hinch didn’t like my choice of “bittersweet.”
“I don’t know that I’d call it bittersweet,” he said. “I think he realizes, you know, he’s soaking it all in and being a good teammate.
“We don’t talk about it near as much as you guys do because we don’t want to bring any more attention than he wants. Now he’s in great spirits, he’s as loud as ever.”
You don’t need any more proof of Cabrera’s joyfulness than him asking Hinch for the green light on the basepaths after the Tigers swiped four bases Wednesday in Houston. The Astros honored Cabrera’s final appearance in Houston with some gifts, including a black cowboy hat.
“So nothing’s really changed,” Hinch said, “even though this is his last home opener. But I’m glad he’s in there, I’m glad he’s in a good place.
“It was fun to watch him get celebrated yesterday in Houston. You know, he wore that cowboy hat all the way home.”
Reporters, though, aren’t the only ones who have to handle Cabrera cautiously. Hinch is keenly aware of the emotional weight a season-long farewell can carry, and he doesn’t want his soon-to-be 40 star to shoulder too much of it.
“We just have to be careful not to bring such a spotlight to him that he doesn’t want,” Hinch said. “When he wants it, we want to give it to him. We’ll force it down throughout the year and fans will cheer him on. Both places that we’ve been, they did a nice job of a small tribute to him.”
Thursday was more than a small tribute. Johnson, Lidstrom and Wallace were nice surprises for Cabrera. But the ovation he got from fans during the team’s introduction, and then the louder roars he got for his RBI single were even sweeter.
“To me, I always say thank you to the fans because they’re always supportive of us every year,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re up or down. It’s been hard the last couple years and they always support us.
“We always want to say thank you to them because if the fans don’t come to the stadium, then it’s going to be boring playing baseball.”
Thursday’s loss wasn’t boring, thanks to the lively fans and the Tigers’ spirited play. Catcher Jake Rogers hit a two-run homer. Spencer Turnbull allowed five earned runs, but was more effective than his disastrous first outing last weekend, lasting 5⅔ innings. Young reliever Mason Englert was sharp in 1⅓ innings.
The biggest disappointments were Greene and Torkelson. They batted third and fourth, respectively, and went a combined 1-for-8 with four strikeouts and five runners stranded. If you don’t know what they mean to the organization, let Cabrera tell you.
“I mean, they’re the future of the Detroit Tigers,” he said. “These guys, they’re really good, they’ve got great talent. I mean, right now what are they doing, they don’t surprise me because I know what they can do.
“So I don’t want to put pressure on them, but I want to see more. I want to see more because they’ve got great talent and they feel good, their path is really bright.”
That’s how it is in baseball. One path brightens, another one dims. Cabrera has seen it enough during his two decades in the majors. But the Tigers still needed him on Thursday, and he didn’t let them down because sometimes, even when everything around you is new, it doesn’t hurt to remind everyone there’s still a little of that old magic left.
Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.