They've only shared the field for a few years, but Miguel Cabrera and Shohei Ohtani banter on the base paths like longtime friends. If Ohtani reaches first against the Tigers, Miggy is waiting there with a grin. He'll hit the Japanese superstar with boxing hands; then he'll hit him with a cup-check. On Wednesday in Detroit, Cabrera waited for Ohtani to bend over to remove his shin guard so he could swipe Ohtani's batting gloves from his back pocket. It's all smiles between one of the greatest hitters ever and the best player on this planet.
"They have mutual respect," Tigers manager AJ Hinch said after Ohtani staged a one-man show in the Angels' 3-1 victory over the Tigers Wednesday. "We've seen their gamesmanship. Both players play with personality, the facial expressions from Ohtani and the fun-loving that he's having. It's great for baseball to see so many people of so many different parts of the world excel at this level. It's why I love this game."
Comerica Park came to its feet anytime Cabrera came to the plate on Wednesday. The fans nearly groaned when he singled off Ohtani in the first inning; they were there to see him hit his 500th home run. They all but exploded when Cabrera drove a ball to the warning track in right field in the ninth. In between, Cabrera grounded out and struck out against Ohtani, who said afterward he would have been fine serving up history to his new friend and the future Hall of Famer.
"He's obviously a great hitter, one of the greatest of all time, and more than that he's a wonderful person whenever I've dealt with him," Ohtani said through a translator. "So respected in the baseball world that I would have been OK if I was the one who gave up the 500th homer. Personally I want to see it happen sooner than later."
Perhaps he'll get to see it on Thursday. The Tigers have one more game against the Angels before heading north to Toronto to start a five-game road trip. The spotlight will be fixed on Cabrera, cameras flashing with every pitch. The biggest attraction in today's game can relate.
"All the fans are standing up when he's hitting, so it's tough for him to be in that at-bat with all the pressure," Ohtani said. "I think that pressure kind of helped me (on Wednesday)."
