DETROIT — The milestones keep piling up for Miguel Cabrera, but his latest feat hits close to home. His fifth-inning RBI single on Wednesday night was the 2,878th hit of his MLB career, moving him past Omar Vizquel for 43rd on the all-time Major League list and giving him the most by a Venezuelan-born Major Leaguer.
Cabrera already leads all Venezuelan-born Major Leaguers with 489 career home runs, 1,735 RBIs, 1,461 runs scored and 582 doubles. The hits record required him to surpass some incredible contact hitters, including Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio.
Cabrera tied and passed Vizquel on Wednesday with two singles off Royals lefty Danny Duffy, who had held him to a .224 average (11-for-49) with no home runs and 14 strikeouts entering the game. That includes two strikeouts in as many at-bats in Duffy’s last start against Detroit on April 25.
Duffy retired Cabrera on a popout to begin the second inning, but Cabrera lined a 1-2 pitch into left field for a single that scored Jonathan Schoop in the third, tying the game at 2. Two innings later, Cabrera sent a ground ball through the right side of the infield for an opposite-field RBI single and a two-run Tigers lead.
Vizquel compiled his hit total over 24 Major League seasons, including several as a Tiger nemesis in Cleveland. However, Vizquel was also a Tiger and Cabrera’s teammate, spending four seasons on former manager Brad Ausmus’ staff as first-base coach from 2014-17.
On the all-time Major League list, Cabrera is in a range where seemingly every hit puts him either at, past or near another great. His first hit Wednesday moved him out of a tie with Hall of Famer Mel Ott for 44th all-time. Next up after Vizquel is Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch, who sits 42nd with 2,880 hits.
“It’s incredible,” teammate Tarik Skubal said after Cabrera passed Babe Ruth on the all-time list last Friday. “I feel like every time he swings the bat and puts it in play, it’s some record or something. It’s honestly incredible to be able to play with that guy at first base.”