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Dialuna 25 aPRil 2022

Tigers’ Cabrera gets 3,000th hit; 33rd player to reach mark

is 39 years old. Yadier Molina,
A two-time AL MVP, a Tri- also 39, followed at 2,116.
ple Crown winner and an
11-time All-Star with four Among younger players, Jose
batting titles, Miggy’s place Altuve (32) has 1,783 and
among the Major League Freddie Freeman (32) had
Baseball greats already was 1,722. Mike Trout (30) was at
assured long before this af- 1,428.
ternoon in Detroit.
Cabrera got three hits
As a 20-year-old rookie, Ca- Wednesday to get to 2,999,
brera helped the Florida then struck out in his final
Marlins win the 2003 World at-bat of the night. He went
Series championship. All 0 for 3 Thursday and was
these years later, stamping his intentionally walked his fi-
name onto the 3,000-hit list nal time up against the Yan-
had a nice ring, too. kees, drawing loud boos and
chants from Detroit fans.
And it’ll certainly look good
on a plaque in Cooperstown The hallowed hit remained
someday. on deck when Friday night’s
game against Colorado was
Cabrera became just the sev- rained out.
enth player with 500 home
runs and 3,000 hits. He Cabrera was the third player
joined an exclusive club with to get his 3,000th hit while
Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, with Detroit, joining late
(AP) — Tigers star Miguel 22-year-old rookie Spencer Eddie Murray, Rafael Pal- Hall of Famers Ty Cobb and
Cabrera delivered the The milestone hit came on a Torkelson, who is touted as meiro, Albert Pujols and Alex Al Kaline.
3,000th hit of his deco- 1-1 pitch from Antonio Sen- the next big thing in Detroit Rodriguez.
rated career Saturday, zatela, a fellow Venezuelan, and has taken over as the Ti- “Al is one of my heroes. It’s
becoming the 33rd major in the first game of a day- gers’ regular first baseman Last August in Toronto, Ca- really sad he couldn’t see it
leaguer to reach the mark night doubleheader. Rockies with Cabrera now in the role brera connected for his 500th because he would always talk
and the first player from shortstop José Iglesias, who of designated hitter. homer. He’s at 502 in his about this moment. Hope-
Venezuela to accomplish played with Cabrera on the 20th season. fully, somewhere right now
the feat. Tigers, came over to give his When the inning ended, the he’s happy and smiling,” Ca-
former teammate a big hug. scoreboard flashed “Con- Cabrera is the seventh La- brera said.
Still an imposing presence gratulations Miggy.” Cabrera tino player to make the 3,000
at 39, Cabrera made history By then, all the Tigers were emerged from the dugout for chart. Hitting the mark tied While age has diminished his
by grounding an opposite- streaming from the dugout to a curtain call, waving to fans him with the late Roberto power to clear any fence and
field single to right through greet the newest member of who had been rewarded with Clemente, and hit No. 3,001 smash opposite-field shots to
the shift in the first inning of baseball’s elite 3,000-hit club. the highlight they came to moved Cabrera ahead of the right-center, Cabrera has en-
Detroit’s game against Colo- Moments later, Cabrera went see. Pirates Hall of Famer. joyed a monster career at the
rado. behind home plate to em- plate.
brace his mother, wife, son Cabrera, however, wasn’t Pujols was the previous play-
Cabrera immediately raised and daughter on the field. quite done. He added a two- er to reach 3,000 hits, doing it Cabrera became the first ma-
his right arm as he headed to- run single in the sixth, exited in 2018. He was at 3,308 go- jor leaguer in 45 years to win
ward first base. The crowd of “I’m happy I hit it here. I’m for a pinch-runner and drew ing into Saturday and, at 42 the Triple Crown by leading
37,566 at Comerica Park gave happy for the people of De- another huge cheer. The Ti- with St. Louis, has said this is the league in batting average,
him a rousing ovation and troit to see it. Hopefully I can gers went on to win 13-0. his final season. home runs and RBIs in 2012.
chanted “Miggy! Miggy!” get more hits here,” Cabrera That year, he won his first
while fireworks were shot off said. Cabrera kept moving up the The next hitter to reach of two straight MVP awards
from beyond the center field chart with a bloop single in 3,000? Hard to say. and helped Detroit reach the
fence. .Cabrera soon returned to the first inning of the night- World Series, during a stretch
first base, but he didn’t stay cap, which the Rockies won Robinson Canó trailed Ca- that included four straight di-
“I was like, ’Get it done to- there for long. He scored 3-2. He finished the day with brera on the active list with vision championships.
day,”” Cabrera said. on a three-run homer by 3,002 career hits. 2,630 going into Saturday and

Towns, T-wolves rebound to even series with Grizzlies at 2

(AP) — Angry after two rough fouls. Desmond Bane, who hit his eighth
games, Karl-Anthony Towns had “Just taking a chill pill, calming down 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish with
to channel his emotions in a pro- and understanding the next game, “I have never seen a more inconsis- 34 points, kept the Grizzlies going
ductive way — a skill he’s still try- there’s another chance,” said Towns, tent and arrogant officiated game,” early. Brooks, with 24 points, helped
ing to master. who hit 14 of his foul shots — in- said Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins. keep them in it late. It was another
cluding a pair of makes with 4.4 sec- “I’ll take whatever hit’s coming my quiet night for Morant, the star point
Towns found his peace at the free- onds left. way.” guard who had 11 points on 4-for-13
throw line. Seventeen tries gave him shooting with 15 assists and eight re-
plenty of time to stay calm. Anthony Edwards scored 24 points Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant offered bounds.
and backup Jordan McLaughlin, who to cover their coach’s inevitable fine.
He roared back with a career playoff- didn’t play in Game 3, went 4 for 4 The Memphis starting five had a “I’m not Ja right now,” said Mo-
best 33 points and 14 rebounds, help- from 3-point range for 16 points. whopping 25 fouls compared to Min- rant, who indicated he’s not at full
ing the Timberwolves recover from nesota’s 23 total fouls. strength. “I’m not playing above the
their Game 3 collapse and pull out The Timberwolves relentlessly at- rim.”
a 119-118 victory over the Memphis tacked the basket and were rewarded “Terrible,” said Morant, who had four
Grizzlies on Saturday night to even with 40 free throws, 31 of which they fouls. “I don’t even foul like that.” The series shifts back to Memphis for
the first-round series at 2-2. made. Memphis was called for 33 Game 5 on Tuesday night.