“I Couldn’t Sleep”- Miguel Cabrera Reacts After Creating History With His 3000th Hit

Miguel Cabrera is the man of the moment. With the landmark ever approaching through the week, it finally happened. Facing fellow Venezuelan Antonio Senzatela from the mound, Cabrera seemed to know as soon as he made contact that this was the hit to take him into the history books.

Facing the Rockies in the Comerica Park, the Tigers ran away with a 13-0 victory over their opponents in a day that seemed to be more about the transcendent talent that is Miguel Cabrera.

Playing in Comerica Park for 15 years now must’ve made it even more special for Cabrera to achieve the landmark in his home stadium. He walked out for the at-bat as nervous as in his early days.

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The occasions are scant when a league veteran finds himself nervous, least of all when in front of a home crowd doing what he has done all his career.

Miguel Cabrera relieved to have the achievement

Speaking immediately after setting up the pitch to travel to right-field, Cabrera seemed happy and proud of his achievement. He said, “Really special moment for me, my family, my whole country of Venezuela.”

With the South American country taking center stage on the day, it was certainly a day that young athletes will look up to. With pitcher Antonio Senzatela on the mound, Miguel Cabrera on home plate, and catcher Elias Diaz behind it, an all Venezuelan cast adorned the frame before Cabrera’s iconic hit.

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“[I] Want to be an inspiration to young Venezuelan fans out there,” said Cabrera. 

Cabrera wants to be a trendsetter for the younger generation. Cabrera added, that he wanted to instill an attitude in his players. An attitude of, “if he can do it I can do it too.”

Miggy talks about his mental state after the hit

Doing it in Comerica Park was no mean feat. Cabrera said, “It was a lot of pressure. I couldn’t sleep because I said I gotta do it here at home in Detroit.”

But as they say in sports. No guts, no glory. Cabrera took the opportunity and made it extra special for the home fans. Something he was only too well aware of. Said Cabrera, “To be able to do it here at home in Detroit is very special for me.”

Speaking about how the English D emblazoned on his uniform has helped him through it, Cabrera appeared to know what was happening. He said, “Brings a lot of memories, you know. When I came for the first time here in Detroit. I remember we always had thirty-five thousand, forty thousand people in the stadium every night. So seeing the fans come back to the stadium like that, it was very emotional.”

After such a historic achievement, it is natural for that surreal feeling to settle in. And Cabrera is no exception. He said, “I think I’m still dreaming. To look over and to see 3000, it was really special and really amazing.”

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The athlete deserves all the plaudits coming to him but how far do you think he can go? Could he reinforce his hall of fame bid with some more homers? Do you think Cabrera still has it in him at his age?