MIAMI -- For Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers' season-opening series at Marlins Park is a homecoming, not just where he lives in the offseason, but where his Major League career began. However, it's also a historic meeting of batting champions.
While Cabrera steps to the plate as a four-time batting champion, including his American League crown last year, Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon began defense of his National League batting title. Thus, just as season-long Interleague Play set up the first Opening Day meeting of World Series opponents from last year when the Mets faced the Royals on Sunday night, Cabrera and Gordon are the first reigning batting champs to open the season in the same game since the American League formed in 1901, according to MLB Network research.

Cabrera battled ankle soreness most of last season and missed six weeks with a left calf strain, but still led the Majors with a .338 batting average, 18 points better than his closest AL competitor. Gordon beat out Bryce Harper for the NL crown by batting .333, leading the Majors with 205 hits in the process.