What a weekend for Miguel Cabrera, the Detroit Tigers, and Tigers’ nation. Miggy had four hits, including three doubles as the Tigers took 2 of 3 from the Guardians to finish in sole possession of second place. After a 2-9 start to the season, the Tigers finished 76-75 over the last 151 games, which included a 9-game losing streak in early June. Most importantly the Tigers finished 35-17 against the Central Division, with the Tigers winning the season series against each division rival. All of which should lead to a positive vibe going into next year, even without Miggy and maybe without starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriquez.
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Saturday’s official Miggy celebration before a sold-out stadium was a thing of class and grace as radio play-by-play announcer Dan Dickerson hosted the event. The highlights were, Miggy’s parents throwing out the first pitch to Miggy as the catcher, the Tigers’ announcing that Miggy will become part of the front office starting next year as a special assistant to president, Scott Harris, and the unveiling of a statue of the number “24”, which is made up of 3,500 baseballs, with 3,000 in white representing his 3,000 hits, and 500 in gold, representing his 500 homeruns. The day was topped off with a 8-0 Tiger victory which included Miggy’s third double of the weekend.
Sunday was the encore of all encores. The game started with Miggy’s three kids throwing out the first pitch with Miggy catching in front of a sold-out stadium. In the top of the eighth inning, Tiger manager A.J. Hinch sent Miggy out to play first base, which he had not played since 2021. To Miggy’s surprise, the rest of the Tiger’s did not run on the field with him. He was on the field alone to the cheers of over 42,000 fans. After, three minutes the rest of the team joined him. As we learned today, Miggy no longer had a first baseman’s glove so he had to borrow Torkelson’s glove.
In something that would only be scripted in a Hollywood movie, the first batter hit a ball to Miggy’s right. Miggy backhanded the ball cleanly and won the race to the bag for the first out of the inning. As Miggy was running to first, he held his index finger in the air as if saying “one more time”. After he beat the runner to first, he pounded his heart, made a remark to the Guardians dugout, and then had the biggest smile I have ever seen.
Tiger manager A.J. Hinch bolted out of the dugout with Miggy’s three kids to give Miggy a great big hug and remove him from the game in one of the biggest encores in the history of encores. Miggy couldn’t stop crying as all his teammates, coaching staff, and others gave Miggy hugs. All to the delight of 42,000 cheering fans. As Kirk Gibson said during the final moments, “Baseball gods….You couldn’t have scripted it any better.” To top it off the Tigers held on to win 5-2.
I have a lot of amazing things in my over 60 years involved with baseball. Today’s eighth inning encore by Miggy ranks with the greatest of all my baseball memories. See my Video of the Day.
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As an umpire, the thing I truly admired in Miggy is the comradery he displayed on the field. He never stopped talking to anyone within hearing distance. I loved the players who did that. It helped me relax and was never a distraction.
When he was at bat, he always talked to the catcher and umpire on his way to the plate. Sometimes he even said something to the pitcher. During his at bats, he never missed an opportunity to continue his conversation with the catcher or umpire. When he was on the basepaths he always talked to whoever was near him. Sometimes he talked to opposing players even while he was running by them on his way to the next base. When he was playing first base, he rarely stopped talking to the umpire, the opposing first base coach, or the runner who just arrived. He would even joke with the fans while playing first base or while he was in the on-deck circle waiting to bat.
On the field, he was a little kid playing a game. He brought joy to anyone within hearing distance as we could tell by the smiles of those within hearing range. Furthermore, Miggy, rarely argued with an umpire. If he didn’t like a call, his facial expression said it all. Most of all, I loved how he always asked for help from the first base umpire on every checked swing he took. He did it even when the plate umpire or catcher didn’t ask. It never made sense to me why he did it, but over time I enjoyed it every time I saw it happen.
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Leave it to Dan Dickerson to sum up what Miggy has meant to so many of us. Here is my Quote of the Day:
“It’s the chance for Tiger fans to say thank you to Miguel Cabrera one last time. Thank you for all the incredible moments, the indelible memories. Thank you for the infectious joy that you played the game with. Thank you for the will to win, the impact you had on players young and old right until this final day. It’s a lot we’re going to miss.”
“We’re going to miss the presence of Miguel Cabrera, the young players especially in that clubhouse. I’m going to miss that shimmy shake that we got from Miguel after a walk-off, the appeal to the umpire at first base after a check swing — nobody did that — and the nod out to the opposing pitcher after a really good pitch. Most of all, I’m going to miss that smile, and truly, you heard it a lot, but it was absolutely true, the childlike joy which he played this game.”
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Lost in all the above, today’s game was also the end of another amazing baseball career, as Terry “Tito” Francona retired as the Guardians manager. Francona, who’s father Tito was a member of the Tigers in the 50s and 60s, is a baseball lifer who may end up in the Hall of Fame. As a manager, he led the Boston Red Sox to two world series championships as they broke the 80-year-old “curse of the Babe” in 2004 and then again in 2007. He also led the Indians to the World Series in 2018. He is one of the great minds of the game who had a reputation as being a great manager of players and a players’ manager. He showed his class this entire weekend, by reminding everyone who wanted to talk about his retirement, that the weekend was not about him, it was about Miggy.
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Quote of the Day: See above from Dan Dickerson
Orchid of the Day: Miggy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Second Orchid of the Day: The Tiger organization and manager A.J. Hinch for doing things right this weekend for the fans and Miggy.
Onion of the Day: U.S Ryder Cup Team
Question of the Day: Is Miggy the greatest Tiger of all time?
Video/Image of the Day: Miggy’s eighth inning encore.