Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers is unquestionably the best hitter in Major League Baseball right now. He hits for average and power, while anchoring one of the best offenses in MLB. The Tigers slugger has now hit his 400th career home run, bringing him into conversations with the all-time greats of the game.
Cabrera started his career with the Marlins until the Tigers were able to steal him away in a trade. Once a Tiger, he blossomed into an MVP and the glue that has held together this offense for four straight division titles.
The 400th home run was Cabrera's tenth of the season so far. The Detroit Free Press remarked on how historic this shot was for both Tigers fans and fans of baseball in general:
"With the home run, Cabrera passed Andres Galarraga for most by a Venezuelan-born player and Tigers legend Al Kaline, who both have 399 career home runs. He tied Adrian Beltre for 52nd in major league history and Willie Horton for fourth in Tigers history, with 262 home runs."
There was a chance that this historic home run wasn't even going to count. Cabrera hit his home run in the top of the first inning against the Cardinals, followed almost immediately by weather issues. ESPN explains the rule on weather cancelled games:
"The game at Busch Stadium was stopped in the bottom of the first because of rain. The Tigers and Cardinals waited out a delay of 1 hour, 20 minutes before resuming. If the game doesn't reach the fifth inning, Cabrera's home run would be washed away."
Luckily, the game continued and the historic home run will be counted in the history books. With only being 32 years old, let's hope we get to see the best hitter in the game continue his climb towards the top of those records lists.
Do you think Cabrera is the best hitter in baseball? Do you think he will be remembered as one of the greats when he finishes his career? Tell us your thoughts below.
