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It’s not often that any big league player gets a curtain call from the opposing team’s fans while on the road. That type of respect and admiration is generally saved for historically notable and/or extremely impressive accomplishments. What Miguel Cabrera accomplished on Sunday afternoon in Toronto certainly qualifies as both.
Since blasting his 499th career home run on August 11, the 38-year-old had been kept in the yard for eight straight games -- the first six of those in front of his home crowd at Comerica Park where he received a standing ovation before every at-bat and fans were anxiously hanging on every swing of his legendary bat.
Finally, on Sunday afternoon at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, it happened. Cabrera crushed a 1-1 changeup from Steven Matz over the wall in right center field to become just the 28th player in big league history to eclipse the 500 home run plateau. That’s some mighty impressive company. The historic blast was hit with an exit velocity of 104.1 mph and traveled 400 feet. Unsurprisingly, in true Cabrera fashion, the memorable long ball was blasted to the opposite field.
Cabrera launched his first big league home run in his big league debut as a 20-year-old rookie with the Marlins way back on June 20, 2003 -- and it was a walk-off blast that won the game for the Marlins in the 11th inning. He would go on to clobber 138 home runs over 720 games during his five seasons with the Marlins. The next 362 long balls came while he was wearing the Olde English D.
Of the 28 players that have reached the historic milestone, only eight of them have finished their big league careers with a batting average over .300. Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx, Frank Thomas, Mel Ott, Manny Ramirez, Ted Williams and Willie Mays. That’s a pretty good group. Cabrera, with his .311 career batting average, will almost certainly be the ninth player added to that list.[[ad:athena]]
In fact, now that Cabrera is only 45 hits away from achieving 3,000 for his illustrious career, he’ll likely wind up joining an even more exclusive group. Only two other players in MLB history have hit .300 or higher, slugged 500 or more home runs, smacked 500 or more doubles and collected 3,000 or more hits. Two. Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Soon, Cabrera will add his name to that list as well as he continues to pad his resume for what’s sure to be a first-ballot induction into Cooperstown.
He became the first Venezuelan born player to join the 500 homer club and the sixth foreign-born player to do so. He also became the first player to hit his 500th home run as a member of the Detroit Tigers. He’s the first player to join the club since David Ortiz did so in 2015 and could be the last one to do it for a while. Among active players, Nelson Cruz is the next closest at 443, but he’s already 41-years-old and would likely need another two seasons to get there. After that, you’re looking at a 31-year-old Giancarlo Stanton sitting on 332.
Sunday’s blast also helped the Tigers win a baseball game, tying the game at 1-1 in the sixth inning and paving the way for an eventual comeback victory over the Jays. While it would have been nice for Cabrera to achieve this milestone at home, the fans in Toronto deserve a tremendous amount of respect for how they handled the situation, giving him such a raucous ovation that he had to come back out for a curtain call.
While Cabrera could potentially reach the 3,000 hit milestone before the end of the 2021 campaign as well, it’s more likely that it won’t come until early in the 2022 season. That will give Tigers fans -- and all fans of baseball in general -- another tremendous opportunity to celebrate the remarkable career that Cabrera has had.
World Series Champion. Four-time American League batting champion. Two-time American League MVP. 11-time All-Star. American League Triple Crown Winner. 500 home runs. All while playing the game with a giant smile on his face and with the same youthful exuberance that he has had since his debut in 2003.
As a life-long Tigers fan, it’s easy for me to be biased and heap an undue amount of praise on the hometown hero. That’s not the case here though. All of the accolades that Cabrera has received he has earned. He may not go down as the greatest right-handed hitter of all-time when all is said and done, but he’s definitely in that conversation. He has also been an absolute joy to watch on a nightly basis for the 14 seasons that he has spent in Detroit and I couldn’t be happier for him on this momentous occasion
Starting Pitchers with an EDGE
Adam Wainwright - 8 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 9 K, 35% CSW, 12 swinging strikes
After twirling a shutout against the Pirates last week, the 39-year-old right-hander was up to his old tricks again on Sunday with another absolutely dominant performance. The only difference this time is that he was already at 106 pitches through eight innings, so manager Mike Shildt didn’t send him back out to try to record his second straight shutout. It’s remarkable how well Wainwright has pitched this season, posting a 3.10 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 146/37 K/BB ratio over 156 2/3 innings through 24 starts.
Cal Quantrill- 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 9 K, 31% CSW, 11 swinging strikes
Another day, another dominant start for Cal Quantrill -- this time against the Angels in the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The 26-year-old hurler has been extremely impressive since the All-Star break, registering a 1.50 ERA and 46/16 K/BB ratio over 48 innings in eight starts. Fantasy managers who bought in at the early signs of success have stumbled into someone pitching like an ace for the last six weeks.
Carlos Hernandez - 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 8 K, 28% CSW, 15 swinging strikes
Hernandez has been awfully impressive since joining the Royals rotation full-time and Sunday’s victory over the Cubs may have been his finest start as a professional. The flame-throwing right-hander generated 15 swinging strikes in the game -- six on his fastball which touched as high as 99.6 mph in the game. Since joining the rotation coming out of the All-Star break, the 24-year-old hurler has lowered his ERA from 4.98 to 3.97.
Frankie Montas - 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 9 K, 35% CSW, 21 swinging strikes
Montas delivered an unbelievable performance in a tough-luck no-decision against the Giants on Sunday. After out-dueling Logan Webb of the Giants, Montas turned a 1-0 lead over to the A’s bullpen and unfortunately A.J. Puk served up a two-run homer in the eighth to swing things in the other direction. The 28-year-old hurler has now struck out six or more batters in each of his last eight starts and hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a start since June 21. On the season he now boasts a 3.84 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.
Hitters with an EDGE
Daulton Varsho - 3-for-4, HR (8), 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB
Daulton Varsho had a big day at the dish in Sunday’s victory over the Rockies, coming just a single shy of hitting for the cycle. The 25-year-old backstop has been sizzling at the plate since the All-Star break, hitting .342 (26-for-76) with seven homers, 17 RBI and three stolen bases in 27 games.
Rhys Hoskins - 2-for-3, 2 HR (26), 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
Rhys Hoskins returned to the Phillies lineup with a bang on Sunday, crushing a pair of solo home runs in a much-needed victory over the Padres. The 28-year-old slugger had been sidelined since August 5 due to a groin strain. It doesn’t look like he missed a beat while he was away though and should be activated in all formats for next week.
Tyler Naquin - 2-for-4, 2 HR (26), 2 R, 2 RBI
Tyler Naquin remained hot in Sunday’s victory over the Marlins, swatting a pair of solo home runs -- one off of Sandy Alcantara and the other off of Anthony Bass. He’s now hitting .268/.333/.482 with 18 long balls and 66 RBI in what has been an unexpectedly solid season for the Reds outfielder.
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EDGE Priority Pickup
Nicky Lopez, 2B/SS, Kansas City Royals -- Available in 81% of Yahoo fantasy leagues
With stolen bases in such high demand in fantasy baseball leagues, it’s shocking to me that Lopez is only 19% owned in Yahoo leagues with how hot he has been running lately. If you haven’t been paying attention, Lopez swiped another base on Sunday -- his 18th of the season. He has been running like crazy as of late though. Over his last 15 games, Lopez is hitting .327 (18-for-55) with a homer, nine RBI and 11 stolen bases. Eleven. In his last 15 games. If you need speed, add him right now.
Closing Time
Michael Lorenzen vs. Marlins - 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K (3rd save)
News flash, David Bell’s management of the Reds bullpen can be frustrating for fantasy managers. Just when you think he finally has a good thing going, with Mychal Givens locking down four straight save chances, Bell turned to Lorenzen to get the final five outs on Saturday night after Givens got into a jam. On Sunday, he went right back to Lorenzen to get the final three outs in a two-run game against the Marlins. It’s hard to fault him -- as Lorenzen has yet to allow a run in 13 1/3 innings on the season. Keep in mind, Tejay Antone is also expected back this week to further muddy the waters.
Joe Jimenez vs. Blue Jays - 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K (1st save)
Jimenez -- who made the American League All-Star team as a high-leverage reliever for the Tigers back in 2018 -- recorded his first save of the season (18th of his career) by working a scoreless 11th inning against the heart of the Blue Jays lineup. Gregory Soto pitched the ninth and tenth innings of this one, earning his sixth victory of the season in the process. There’s no closer controversy here, Soto is very clearly still the lead dog in the Tigers bullpen.
Emmanuel Clase vs. Angels - 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K (18th save)
In what was once a shared ninth-inning gig between Clase and James Karinchak, it looks like Clase is now the clear Alpha in the Indians bullpen. The right-hander has been extremely impressive this season, posting a minuscule 1.55 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 57/15 K/BB ratio over 52 1/3 innings. He has now locked down each of the team’s last seven successful save chances while James Karinchak hasn’t recorded a save since July 21.
Monday’s Matchup of the Day
Nathan Eovaldi (BOS) vs. Kolby Allard (TEX)
Whether permitted, we may have day baseball on Monday afternoon as the Red Sox and Rangers attempt to make up Sunday’s game that was postponed due to tropical storm Henri.
If that’s indeed the case, the Red Sox will send Eovaldi to the hill as a major favorite (-340) as they’re now battling for their postseason life. They’ll enter play on Monday tied with the Athletics for the second and final wild card berth in the American League.
Eovaldi has been plagued by inconsistency this season, though he has pitched well in his last two starts after a pair of major disasters. On the season, he holds a 3.91 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 140/26 K/BB ratio across 138 innings through 24 starts.
On the other side of the diamond, Kolby Allard comes in on a bit of a roll, posting quality starts in each of his last three outings. During that stretch he has lowered his ERA from 5.23 to 4.88 and he looks to be settling in nicely to the Rangers rotation. He’ll have his hands full though with a hard-hitting Red Sox lineup that owns a .763 OPS against left-handed pitching -- the fourth best mark in the American League.
American League Quick Hits: The Rays placed Nelson Cruz on the COVID-19 injured list. … Tim Anderson was held out of the White Sox lineup again on Sunday due to “sore legs”. He’s considered day-to-day. … The Mariners signed right-hander Matt Andriese to a one-year deal. … Ji-Man Choi was pulled from Sunday’s battle against the White Sox due to left hamstring tightness. … Chris Archer struck out four over two scoreless innings against the White Sox in his return from the injured list. … Wander Franco had two hits and scored three runs as the Rays walloped the White Sox. … Andrew Benintendi went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs in a lopsided victory over the Cubs. … Framber Valdez struck out seven over seven shutout innings in a no-decision against the Mariners. … Kyle Seager crushed a three-run homer in the 11th inning to lead the Mariners past the Astros. … Yordan Alvarez homered in his third straight game in a losing effort there. … Shohei Ohtani singled, walked twice and swiped his 19th base of the season in a losing effort against the Indians. … Amed Rosario went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer as the Indians triumphed over the Angels in the Little League Classic.
National League Quick Hits: The Phillies optioned Alec Bohm to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after slashing a disappointing .245/.302/.342 with just seven homers in 373 at-bats. … Eduardo Escobar was removed from Sunday’s game against the Nationals due to right hamstring discomfort. … Francisco Lindor (oblique) is expected to be activated from the injured list on Tuesday. … The Pirates placed outfielder Gregory Polanco on outright waivers, ending his tenure with the team. … The Cardinals activated Kwang-Hyun Kim from the 10-day injured list, but he’s expected to work out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season. … Julio Urias (calf) is expected to return to the Dodgers rotation on Tuesday against the Padres. … The Giants placed Anthony DeSclafani on the 10-day injured list with right ankle inflammation. … They also placed Evan Longoria on the COVID-19 IL, though he’s just having adverse side effects after receiving the vaccine. … Raimel Tapia (toe) was able to run the bases from first to third on Sunday as he continues to recover from a sprained big toe. … Noah Syndergaard (elbow) is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment during the upcoming week. … Sandy Alcantara struck out a season-high 11 batters in a tough-luck loss to the Reds. … Vladimir Gutierrez fanned a career-best eight over seven innings on the other side, posting an elite CSW of 39 percent. … Paul Goldschmidt homered and scored a pair of runs as the Cardinals defeated the Pirates. … Kolten Wong homered, tripled and drove in three runs as the Brewers beat the Nationals. … Kyle Gibson allowed just one run over eight innings in a victory over the Padres. … J.T. Realmuto homered and swiped a base to lead the Phillies offense in that one. … Javier Baez doubled twice and drove in a run in his return to the Mets lineup. … J.D. Davis homered and drove in four runs as the Mets defeated the Dodgers. … Logan Webb struck out seven over six innings of one-run ball in a tough-luck no-decision against the Athletics. … Donovan Solano blasted a pinch-hit two-run homer in the eighth inning to lead the Giants past the A’s.
