Detroit Tigers icon Miguel Cabrera finishes 21-year MLB career with 'a dream come true'

Miguel Cabrera put on a first baseman's glove in the dugout.

He jogged to onto the field all by himself.

Cabrera wasn't alone, though. He had more than 41,000 fans on their feet for him, cheering for him, saying thank you to him. The 40-year-old took the field as the Detroit Tigers' first baseman to start the eighth inning, and on the first play, he backhanded a ground ball, sprinted to first base and beat a speedy Steven Kwan to the bag.

Baseball is beautiful, isn't it?

"That was awesome," Cabrera said. "To come back to first base for one out, it was a dream come true."

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Cabrera picked the ball in the dirt, held up his right arm, pointed in his finger in the air, danced across first base — barley beating Kwan — and smacked his chest with an open hand three times while running through the base, into foul territory and back toward the mound. He flashed the biggest smile. Cabrera threw the ball to shortstop Javier Báez and hugged right-handed reliever Will Vest. He stood in the middle of the diamond, removed the glove, took off his hat and raised his arms in the air. Cabrera waved to the crowd with both hands.

Fate had given Cabrera the perfect ball to field. Fans, players, coaches, staff members and, of course, family, gave him the perfect sendoff into retirement, as his legendary career ended on Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park.

Over his 21-season MLB career — 2,797 games in all — he hit .306 with 511 home runs, 627 doubles and 3,174 hits. A 12-time All-Star, Cabrera won the World Series in 2003, AL MVP awards in 2012 and 2013, a Triple Crown in 2012 and four AL batting titles (in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015). There are three players in the history of the game with 500 home runs, 600 doubles and 3,000 hits: Cabrera, Hank Aaron and Albert Pujols. Cabrera had the best batting average in the group.

Manager A.J. Hinch popped out of the dugout, leading the way for Brisel Cabrera, Isabella Cabrera and Christopher Cabrera. The three children received hugs from their dad, and their dad started crying. (He had only cried in one other game, he said afterward: April 23, 2022, when he recorded his 3,000th hit.) His final game started with his three kids throwing him the first pitch.

"They started your day, they're going to end your day," Hinch told Cabrera. "It's time for you to come off the field."

Cabrera took off his sunglasses.

He let the world see his tears.

"I didn't want to hide my emotions," Cabrera said. "It's a special moment."

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After that, Cabrera hugged each member of his final team. The infielders and outfielders filtered into the middle of the diamond, near the third-base line. Everyone on the bench, from players to trainers, made their way onto the field. The relief pitchers emerged from the bullpen.

Everyone in Comerica Park paid their respects to one of the greatest right-handed hitters in baseball history.

"I can't explain that," Cabrera said after Sunday's 5-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians, ending the 2023 season. "I want to say thank you for all the support (the fans) gave me my whole career. I feel like I'm a part of this city. I love Detroit. It's why I want to be a part of this team in the future."

Farewell, with glove

Cabrera, known for so many years as a pure hitter, didn't do much at the plate in his finale.

His children introduced him — "Now batting, No. 24, our father, Miguel Cabrera" — before his first at-bat.

Cabrera, who didn't wear his sunglasses in the batter's box, finished 0-for-3 with one walk in four plate appearances, bringing him to 11,796 over his career

"Everything was a surprise," Cabrera said.

He struck out in the first inning, struck out in the third inning, popped out in the fourth inning and drew a four-pitch walk in the seventh inning. None of the 15 pitches that Cabrera saw from the Guardians were in the strike zone.

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"I was kind of lost in the game because I couldn't focus," Cabrera said. "I tried to have a plan, but at the plate, I was swinging at everything. I wanted to do something, but that's not the way I hit. I made a mistake swinging at everything, but it was great."

But with all that, Cabrera got one final chance to shine in the field.

As he jogged to first base, the fans went crazy.

During warmups, Báez sailed the ball over Cabrera's outstretched glove. Cabrera walked into foul territory to find it, but a police officer had already picked it up. He hugged the officer, took the ball and returned to his home at first base.

Kwan, known for his contact skills, stepped into the batter's box and the top of the eighth inning began.

The left-handed hitter took a first-pitch 96 mph fastball from Vest on the outside edge of the zone for a called strike. On the second pitch, Kwan made contact, sending the ball just to the left of the first-base bag. Cabrera backhanded Kwan's grounder and beat him to the bag for the out.

Leave the big moment to Dan Dickerson, the voice of the Tigers.

"The strike one, swing and a ground ball to first, backhanded by Cabrera, crosses the bag with his left foot, one out in the eighth," Dickerson said. "Of course. The ball will always find you."

"I knew that was going to happen, a ground ball," Cabrera said. "I was ready. I made a nice play, too."

The leather men

A curtain call seemed merited after Cabrera's four-pitch walk in the seventh inning but, somewhat surprisingly, he stayed in the game to run the bases for the final time in his career. Hinch, who was tasked with finding the perfect moment, deserves credit.

He orchestrated the final moment.

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Cabrera returned to the dugout after the next batter grounded into a double play and shared a brief conversation with Hinch. He spent the final out of the seventh inning talking to first baseman Spencer Torkelson.

"He agreed to first base," Hinch said, "but told me that he had thrown his glove away in spring because he wasn't really taking grounders. I told Tork, 'He's going to need your glove.' And then it went from there."

"I didn't have any gloves," Cabrera said.

Cabrera needed an assist from Torkelson, much the same way Cabrera had delivered an assist to the first baseman in his first season: In March 2022, Cabrera joined the meeting with Hinch and general manager Al Avila to tell Torkelson he had earned a spot on the Opening Day roster. The promotion of Torkelson shifted Cabrera to a full-time designated hitter, but Cabrera has been vocal since in his support and belief in the 2020 No. 1 overall pick.

'Hey, Tork, do you got an extra glove?" Cabrera asked.

"You can use mine," Torkelson responded.

"I let him use the one I used all year," Torkelson said, telling the story of the glove exchange. "I was planning on bringing it back next year, but I'm going to break in a new one."

Cabrera returned the glove — a Wilson A2000 nicknamed "Gamer" by Torkelson — after the first basemen embraced on the field. Torkelson hugged him and told him he loved him. Before Cabrera hugged the next player in line, he turned around and got Torkelson's attention. He handed him the now-legendary glove.

After the game, Cabrera signed the glove and let Torkelson keep it. The signed glove includes six historical notes: TRIPLE CROWN 2012; AL MVP 2012-13; 4X BATTING CHAMP; 12X ALL-STAR; 3000 HIT, 500 HR.

Torkelson is going to buy a display case.

He will put the one-of-a-kind glove in his man cave.

"The baseball gods are real," Torkelson said.

The legacy

Cabrera soaked up all the praise from the fans, but, again, let's cut to Dickerson.

"It's the chance for Tiger fans to say thank you to Miguel Cabrera one last time," the longtime broadcaster said on the WXYT-FM (97.1) broadcast. "Thank you for all the incredible moments, the indelible memories. Thank you for the infectious joy that you played the game with. Thank you for the will to win, the impact you had on players young and old right until this final day. It's a lot we're going to miss.

"We're going to miss the presence of Miguel Cabrera, the young players especially in that clubhouse. I'm going to miss that shimmy shake that we got from Miguel after a walk-off, the appeal to the umpire at first base after a check swing — nobody did that — and the nod out to the opposing pitcher after a really good pitch. Most of all, I'm going to miss that smile, and truly, you heard it a lot, but it was absolutely true, the childlike joy which he played this game."

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Indeed, Cabrera retires from his playing career as something of a living legend.

He will be eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, in the summer of 2029 — five full seasons after his retirement — and can expect to be a first-ballot visitor to Cooperstown, New York, just like his fellowe Tigers, Ty Cobb and Al Kaline.

The numbers were unbelievable, but he was more than just his numbers.

"I'm lucky because I played 21 years in the big leagues," Cabrera said. "I played with love. I played hard. I'm going to miss it, but it is what it is. This is the end. I'm happy I played 21 seasons in the big leagues. At the end of the day, thank God."

So, what happens now?

"Tomorrow, I'm going to wake up at 7 a.m. and take my kids to school," Cabrera said. "I'm going to have a normal life now."

Cabrera's playing career is over, but he isn't going anywhere. A few days ago, he joined Kirk Gibson, Willie Horton, Jim Leyland, Lance Parrish and Alan Trammell as a special assistant within the organization, specifically to president of baseball operations Scott Harris. The Tigers hope Cabrera can teach players throughout the organization and help the franchise win its first World Series title since 1984.

Even as Cabrera's personal time shifts to a different zone, he sent a loud-and-clear message to his now-former teammates while leaving the clubhouse, with five words turning ahead the clock:.

"See you in spring training."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold..

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Miguel Cabrera's final day as a Detroit Tiger had plenty of surprises