KANSAS CITY — Miguel Cabrera’s most productive hitless game in years included a game-tying sacrifice fly, a go-ahead ground ball and his first stolen base since 2020 as part of a wild ride around the bases. It also included the end of the Tigers’ four-game losing streak with a 7-5 win over the Royals on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
It marked Cabrera’s first multi-RBI hitless game since 2005, and the third of his career. He had never driven in multiple runs and scored another without a base hit until now, according to research on baseball-reference.
Cabrera was the third cog of a productive middle of the Tigers’ order. Javier Báez doubled leading off the fifth and seventh innings, and he advanced to third base on Robbie Grossman flyouts. Both times, Cabrera brought Báez home.
Cabrera’s fifth-inning sacrifice fly pushed him past Ken Griffey Jr. for 15th on the AL/NL all-time RBIs list. His seventh-inning grounder, booted by Bobby Witt Jr. for an error, marked Cabrera’s 1,838th RBI, tying him with Ted Williams for 14th. It also put the Tigers, who scored four in the frame, in front.
With Cabrera on base, though, the fun was just starting. The 39-year-old designated hitter advanced to second on a José Cuas wild pitch, then Cabrera took off for third base a couple pitches later. Royals rookie catcher MJ Melendez had a chance to throw him out, but sailed the ball into left field. Cabrera slid into third, got up, took off for home and scored without a throw, howling as he caught his breath on his way back into the dugout.
Cabrera hadn’t even attempted to swipe a base since he took third on White Sox ace Lucas Giolito and former Tigers teammate James McCann on Sept. 11, 2020. He advanced as many bases on his Tuesday trek as he had in the entire season until then, according to baseball-reference.