A.J. Hinch thought Miguel Cabrera would pick up the pace with the pressure of 500 homers off his shoulders. A.J. Hinch was right. The future Hall of Famer can't ... stop ... hitting. After finishing Detroit's series in Pittsburgh this week with seven straight hits, Cabrera picked up two more to kick off Friday night's game against the Rays.
That made him the first Tiger to record a hit in nine straight at-bats since Walt Dropo went 12 straight in 1952 to tie an MLB record. Cabrera's streak ended at nine with a strikeout in the sixth inning Friday; he would have been the first to reach double digits since Jose Altuve in 2018.
Can we appreciate this man for a moment?
"That was incredible," said Akil Baddoo. "What he's done so far, what he's done in his 18-plus years in the league, it's ridiculous. It's a beautiful thing to see when he's on a roll like that. You can't stop him when he's seeing the ball like that."
For all his achievements, including four batting titles, two MVP's and a freaking Triple Crown, Cabrera had never collected more than six hits in a row. For all the great hitters who have worn the Old English D in the Expansion Era (since 1961), none had ever collected more than seven hits in a row. Miggy just outdid all of them, while outdoing himself. Friendly reminder that he's 38 years old.
This is real-life stuff that feels like fantasy. These are feats that make video games fake. The 23-year-old Baddoo grew up playing as Miggy in MLB The Show and said Friday, "Nope!," he never got nine hits in a row. Baddoo said it's better to watch him in person anyway.
"You just kind of sit back and be glad you're a part of it," he said. "I'm just glad I'm a part of somebody who's so great, who's going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer soon to come."
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So back to Hinch's hunch. In 14 games since he got 500 off his back, Cabrera is hitting .400 with 10 RBI. Righties or lefties, hard or soft, inside or outside -- it hasn't mattered. He's smacking everything. Cabrera's numbers on the year are still weighed down by a brutal start, which was partly the result of a biceps injury in April. But since the start of June, he ranks ninth in the AL with an average of .304. Average age of the rest of the top 10: 28.
Did we mention Cabrera is 38?
"He's still got good numbers, to me," said Jonathan Schoop. "And watching him get nine hits straight, you see he's still got it. Every time Miggy steps in the box, it's Miguel Cabrera stepping into the box. He can be 0-10 and the pitcher is going to respect him. I'm lucky enough to play with him."
Cabrera's September surge has ignited another chase. He's now 27 hits shy of 3,000, with 20 games remaining this season. If he stays hot, Miggy could become the first player in MLB history to reach 500 homers and 3,000 hits in the same season. Let's say Cabrera plays 18 games down the stretch and gets 70 at-bats. He'd have to hit .385 to reach 3,000. Unlikely, but no longer out of the question.
It was once out of the question for a player to earn unanimous entrance in the Hall of Fame. Then Mariano Rivera broke down the door and opened it for others. Who better to follow in Mo's footsteps than the only man ever to take him deep twice in the same series? When Miggy lands on the ballot, there should be no question at all.
