[VIDEO] Miguel Cabrera Nails 2000th Career Hit in Longball Fashion

Miguel Cabrera is a beast. You know, I know it. He accomplished his 2000th career hit today, and of course it was a home run. Don't be silly.

The Detroit Tigers first baseman notched hit No. 2000 of his career Friday afternoon in the form of a two-run bomb to left field. It came off Baltimore Orioles reliever Ryan Webb in the eighth inning of his team's 10-4 win at Comerica Park, where he enjoyed a 4-for-5 game, including an RBI single in the sixth.

Cabrera is the ninth player in MLB history to have 2,000 or more hits by the age of 31, joining the likes of Hank Aaron, Mel Ott, and Rogers Hornsby.

Tigers Force Game 6 with Win over Rangers, Series Headed back to Arlington

What an awesome series so far.

Justin Verlander did his best over seven-plus innings Thursday night to keep the Detroit Tigers in the game. Meanwhile, the offense was behind him all the way and extended the series with a 7-5 win over the Texas Rangers to cut the Texas lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series and shift the contest back to Arlington.

The Tigers managed to use a little teamwork to hit for the cycle during the sixth inning. In order. Ryan Raburn got on base with the single, Miguel Cabrera took care of the double, Victor Martinez nailed the triple, and Delmon Young crushed a two-run shot (his second of the game) to cap the deal and give Detroit a 6-2 lead. History was made during this series once again, as it became the first natural cycle ever to happen in the postseason.

Speaking of records, Nelson Cruz and his Boomstick hit a ridiculous fifth home run of the series, becoming the fifth player in history to do so, in the top of the eighth to bring the Rangers within three. They added another run on a Michael Young base hit in the ninth to make it 7-5, but the Tigers held on for the victory, even without Jose Valverde to shut it down.

Phil Coke got the final five outs for his first career postseason save. Way to go, buddy.

The Rangers will get another shot at punching their ticket to the World Series for the second straight season in Game 6 Saturday night in Texas. Derek Holland and Max Scherzer, both of whom have failed to get a decision this postseason, will face each other at 8:05pm ET on FOX.

[Detroit Free Press]

Doug Fister Hurls Tigers Past Rangers in ALCS Game 3

After dropping the first two games of the American League Championship Series in Arlington, the banged-up Detroit Tigers absolutely had to win Game 3, and Doug Fister gave them a chance to do that. It wasn't exactly a must-win situation, but only the Boston Red Sox have come back from a 3-0 deficit to force a Game 7. They managed to win the 2004 World Series that year, but it's not the recommended way of doing things.

The right-hander with a bad case of hat-head was about as cool as the other side of the pillow in the huge Game 3, pitching 7.1 solid innings Tuesday night where he allowed just two runs on seven hits to aid in his team's 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers. Fister loves pitching at Comerica Park. He's an incredible 5-0 with an 1.23 ERA at home... pretty much unhittable.

Meanwhile, Rangers starter Colby Lewis suffered his very first postseason loss after entering the game with a career 4-0 record and 1.67 ERA in the playoffs. It was a good run.

Josh Hamilton drove in a first inning run to give Texas an early lead, but the Tigers tied it up on a Victor Martinez lead-off solo shot in the bottom of the fourth. The following inning, Miguel Cabrera said "Hold your horses, Rangers," when he hit an RBI double to the right field corner to give Detroit a 2-1 edge.

Jhonny Peralta nailed one into the Tigers bullpen in the sixth before Austin Jackson, who had three hits in the game after going 3-for-25 with 14 strikeouts over the first seven postseason contests, blooped a run-scoring single to center. Cabrera, who struggled through the first few innings, crushed a longball to left in the seventh to make it 5-1.

Detroit Tigers Fend off New York Yankees to Even up ALDS

The Detroit Tigers held off the New York Yankees to tie up their American League Division Series on Sunday with a 5-3 win at Yankee Stadium, and are very much looking forward to heading back home to Detroit Monday night.

AL Batting Champion Miguel Cabrera smoked a two-run homer off Yankees starter Freddy Garcia in the first to give Max Scherzer an early lead before adding another RBI in the sixth along with Victor Martinez to make it 4-0. Scherzer actually pitched no-hit ball into the sixth before the Cano blooped one the opposite way into left field, but we totally forgave him for that.

About the time it started to rain again, Curtis Granderson hit a solo shot in the eighth off Joaquin Benoit, but Don Kelly answered with a home run of his own in the top of the ninth to bring the score to 5-1.

Things got a little crazy in the bottom of the ninth when Nick Swisher went yard and Andruw Jones added a sacrifice fly to bring the Yankees within two.  Tigers closer Jose Valverde then walked Granderson to put runners on first and second, but quickly recovered to retire the hot-hitting Cano and cap Detroit's victory to bring the series to Motor City for Game 3 Monday at 8:30pm ET on TBS.

Miguel Cabrera Earns First American League Batting Title

Miguel Cabrera enjoyed a 2-for-4 night to wrap up the American League batting title in his AL Central-Champion Detroit Tigers' 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians Wednesday night.

Cabrera led off the sixth inning with a bloop single to right field before sending a double sailing down the left-field line in his next at bat to clinch the batting crown. I'd like to believe that even if he hadn't gone hitless in his first two at-bats, he would still have finished the game like he's responsible for doing as a team player. Unlike some selfish, stat-padding, batting champs we know.

The 28-year-old first baseman finished the season hitting .344, six points ahead of Texas Rangers outfielder Michael Young and Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, both polishing off the year with a .338 average. Valiant effort, fellas. Cabrera had this to say about his achievement:

"It feels great. I got a couple hits. The only thing I haven't had in my career -- a batting title."

Miguel Cabrera Arrested for Drunk Driving

Oh, Miguel Cabrera. When will you ever learn? The first baseman was arrested late Wednesday night on suspicion of drunken driving in Florida, not the first alcohol-related problem for the Detroit Tigers player who was thought to be rehabilitated and recovering.

The Motown slugger was found by a deputy, chilling in his 2005 Land Rover with a smoking engine alongside a road in Fort Pierce. According to the officer, Cabrera smelled like booze and his speech was slurred.

But wait, there's more. Cabrera actually took a swig from a bottle of scotch right in front of a deputy. Then, he refused to cooperate and more deputies were called to the scene. Yep, he was bombed.

According to the police report, the 27-year-old All-Star was wandering into the road with his hands in the air before he was handcuffed and actually said this:

"Do you know who I am?! You don’t know anything about my problems," while cussing at the deputies who tried to get him into a patrol car.

Josh Hamilton is Super Valuable

In fact, he is the most valuable player in the entire American League.

Josh Hamilton gets to clear a spot in his trophy case for some hardware today after being named the AL MVP. Despite missing most of the final month of the regular season with two fractured ribs, the Texas Rangers outfielder compiled 358 points from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America after tallying 22 first place votes, four second places and two fourth place tallies... which probably came out of New York.

Hamilton had a big hand in getting the Rangers to their first ever ALCS, where he was named the MVP of that series on the road to the Fall Classic, which they eventually blew. The 29-year-old All-Star led the big leagues with a .359 batting average and a .633 slugging percentage, and finished the 2010 season a .369 hitter with runners in scoring position and .370 with two outs. Clutch.

It's 2010 Home Run Derby Time!

Update: Good job, Big Papi.

Here is the lineup for the Midsummer Classic 2010 State Farm Home Run Derby contest, in order of appearance. Who ya got?

Miguel Cabrera Feels Like a New Man

Have you been curious as to how Miguel Cabrera spent his offseason? Well, he's spent the past three months in rehab, undergoing alcohol abuse treatment in Miami, Florida.

The Detroit Tigers first baseman, who prepared for one of the most important games of the 2009 season by beating the crap out of his wife and getting hammered til 6am the night before the game, put up great numbers for the Tigers last season.

He's hands-down the best hitter on the team, and now that he's healthier, he'll only get better.

"When you've got problems, you can't hide," he said. "As a ballplayer, you do something like that and you have a problem. I want to play a lot of years and right now I feel comfortable. I feel great."

Way to go, Miggy. We're proud of you.

[Detroit Free Press] | [It's Always Sunny In Detroit]

Jim Leyland Commands Heroism

Jim Leyland told Miguel Cabrera to hit a home run and be a hero. Cabrera obliged.

After the two hour-long, hard-nosed pitchers duel between Mark Buehrle and Kenny Rogers had ended, the Detroit Tigers corner infielder clubbed a walkoff solo shot (his ninth homer of the season) off Octavio Dotel to beat the Chicago White Sox 2-1 Thursday, polishing off a three-game sweep of their division rivals.

You may think things are looking up for Detroit, what with bouncing back from a horrible 8-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians after Dontrelle Willis was embarrassingly banished to Class-A ball, but don't get all excited, Motown. Your fourth place Tigers are still 8 games under .500, trailing the AL Central-leading South Siders by 8 games.

[MLB]

What is that Sucking Sound?

It was only a matter of time before Detroit Tigers skipper Jim Leyland flipped out on his sub-par ball team.

Sunday's 11-0 piss-pounding by the Chicago White Sox, which was highlighted by not one, but two grand slams -- at the hands of Joe Crede and Paul Konerko -- was the straw that broke the camel's back. Adding insult to injury is never easy to swallow.

This marks the fourth time the Motor City Kittens and their $138.7 million payroll have been shut out this season, the second consecutive, bringing them to a shoddy 2-10 record. Leyland is more than pissed, he's embarrassed.

"I know I suck. We know we suck. But I don’t see nobody in there hanging their head and feeling sorry for themselves. Yeah, we suck. But we’ll see who sucks at the end," said designated hitter Gary Sheffield.

Yes, it's April, there's plenty of time left, but what is their plan of action to switch the momentum into a winning direction? Miguel Cabrera has no idea.

"I feel like everybody’s laughing right now," the third baseman said.

Well, that's because they are. They're either laughing or so confused and shocked by this suckfest of a team that they don't know what to do other than laugh hysterically.

The Tigers head back home to Comerica Monday night to face the Minnesota Twins when Jeremy Bonderman (1-1, 3.97 ERA) takes the hill against Nick Blackburn (0-1, 2.25 ERA) at 7:10pm CST.

[Detroit Free Press]

Miguel Cabrera is Filthy Rich

Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers have reached a ginormous agreement to keep the tough-slugging third baseman in Motown through 2015.

We're talking eight years, $152 million, including the $11.3 million he was already going to rake in for 2008. All he needs to do is pass his physical Monday.

As one of the top young players in the game, Cabrera will receive the richest deal in Tigers history, not to mention the fourth highest contract in the history of the game, behind Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Manny Ramirez, respectively.

Traded along with Dontrelle Willis this offseason by the Florida Marlins for a handful of young prospects, the 24-year-old Cabrera joins a hardcore Detroit lineup that includes Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Edgar Renteria, Ivan Rodriguez, Placido Polanco, and Curtis Granderson.

Yeah, even their bench is kinda' scary.

[SI.com]

Big Bucks for Cabrera

The Detroit Tigers have signed Miguel Cabrera to a one-year contract worth $11.3 million this weekend.

The All-Star third baseman hit .320 with 34 homers and 119 RBIs, missing just five games in 2007.

Cabrera, 24, joined the club by way of trade with the Florida Marlins in December, along with left-handed starter Dontrelle Willis. In return, the Marlins received six players, including two top-tier prospects in lefty Andrew Miller and outfielder Cameron Maybin.

Cabrera joins a fearsome lineup that already includes Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Guillen, Ivan Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco and new-comer shortstop Edgar Renteria, who was acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Braves this offseason. Scary stuff.

[MLive]

Tigers, Marlins: it's a Whopper!

The Detroit Tigers and Florida Marlins made a big splash Tuesday evening, reeling in the biggest trade of the Winter Meetings thus far.

Tigers skipper Jim Leyland, sans cigs and smoking jacket, approached a Marlins executive Tuesday morning and simply said, "We want [Miguel] Cabrera."

Now, the Motor City Kitties have acquired the 24-year-old slugging third baseman along with once-awesome pitcher Dontrelle Willis, whose value went down considerably after a rough 10-15 season with a 5.17 ERA.


The Marlins, who can barely afford new rosin bags, received two of the sweetest prospects in the league in sweet-swinging Cameron Maybin (20) and promising lefty Andrew Miller (22). The deal also has four other players heading to Forida: catcher Mike Rabelo, reliever Eulogio de la Cruz and starting pitchers Dallas Trahern and Burke Badenhop.

So, the Tigers are pretty much out of young kids for their future, as they traded away outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and starter Jair Jurrjens, to acquire shortstop Edgar Renteria from the Atlanta Braves earlier this offseason.

But, now they can pride themselves on having one of the most intimidating lineups in baseball...

Curtis Granderson
Placido Polanco
Miguel Cabrera
Magglio Ordonez
Gary Sheffield
Carlos Guillen
Edgar Renteria
Ivan Rodriguez
Jacque Jones
Marcus Thames

Scary stuff.

[SI]

Miguel Cabrera Won't Be a Cheap Date

Miguel Cabrera has become too expensive for the Florida Marlins.

With the stoves heating up this weekend, there are at least a few clubs who are interested in the All-Star third baseman -- it's just a matter of what they are willing to fork over.

At 24, Cabrera has already made four trips to the All-Star game and has averaged 32 bombs and 115 RBIs per year since 2004, with a .318 batting average. Arbitration-eligible, he's likely to make between $10-$13 million next season, which is close to half of the Marlins' 2007 payroll. Ouch.

Cabrera's tenure in Florida hasn't been all sunshine and palm trees. There are concerns about his weight and poor defense, as he tied for second among big league third basemen with 23 errors last season, not to mention his failure to attend offseason promotional events.

The logical conclusion is to trade him, but to where and for who? The Los Angeles Angels were considered the front-runners before the Marlins apparently raised the asking price at the last minute when negotiations came to a screeching halt. They had steady competition in the Dodgers and Giants, but again, team executives, such as San Francisco GM Brian Sabean, are questioning the Marlins' unrealistic demands for Cabrera.

''There's a reason that one player hasn't been traded yet,'' Sabean said, referring to Cabrera.

[Miami Herald]

Cabrera To Arbitration, Peña Gets Deal

Miguel Cabrera and the Florida Marlins took their salary dispute to arbitrators Friday, with Cabrera asking for $7.4 million and the club offering $6.7 million.

The All-Star third baseman finished second in the NL last year with a .339 batting average, driving in 114 runs with 26 homers, making only $472,000. A decision is expected Saturday.

Clubs are 4-0 in arbitration this year, with four players remaining scheduled for hearings next week: Baltimore's Erik Bedard, Washington's Chad Cordero, San Diego's Todd Walker and Chicago Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano.