NEW YORK -- Before the Tigers took the field at Yankee Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Yankees honored former greats during their 70th Old-Timers' Day. The retired Yanks played a low-key exhibition to the delight of fans, chugging along the basepaths they once traveled on a regular basis. It was an event meant to honor the Yankees' past.
Miguel Cabrera jolted things back into the present in his first at-bat of the day. Playing in his 2,000th career game, Cabrera smacked a double to center field for the 2,4000th hit of his career. At 33 years, 55 days old, he became the fifth-youngest player in Major League history to reach the milestone.
"He's one of the greatest hitters, if not the greatest hitter, of our generation," left-hander Matt Boyd said after the Tigers' 4-1 win. "It's an honor to share a locker room with him."
While reaching 2,400 hits isn't as celebrated a milestone as 3,000 hits, or even 2,500 hits, it still proves a testament to Cabrera's sustained success since debuting with the Marlins in 2003.
A career .320 hitter, he's also mashed 420 home runs over his 14-year career. And he hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. He's on pace to hit 31 long balls and ended Sunday's game with a .297 batting average.
Cabrera's double broke a 0-for-8 streak in the series. He then picked up a single in the fourth before scoring on a sacrifice fly from Nick Castellanos.
"He has fun when he plays," Boyd said. "Put the success on top of that, and I want to go about my business and have my outlook on the game [be just like his]."