Miguel Cabrera has been sitting with 499 career home runs for quite some time.
That all changed Sunday as he finally put himself among the all-time MLB greats with No. 500.
The 28th player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs.
Congrats, @MiguelCabrera! pic.twitter.com/ajmOAbVeZg
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 22, 2021
Not only did he make history, but he did it in vintage form.
Cabrera stuck the bat out, went to the opposite field, and hit a clutch home run to keep his team in the game.
This is nothing new for Detroit Tigers fans.
The moment was a special one and Cabrera got a nice ovation from the Toronto Blue Jays fans in attendance.
How often do you hear a genuine cheer for an opposing player?
The first Venezuelan-born player in the 500 HR club.
Congrats, @MiguelCabrera! 🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/W7VaY0BVt3
— MLB (@MLB) August 22, 2021
Cabrera is now the 28th player to reach this historic feat.
Appreciating The Moment
It is easy to forget that a living legend is playing for the Tigers.
Cabrera now has 500 home runs and up next is 3,000 hits.
He entered the day just 46 hits shy of that mark.
Cabrera is one of the most accomplished batters in MLB history and will retire one day as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Now comes seeing just how much he can increase his historical marks as his career continues on over the next several years.
The contract he got from the Tigers was not great for the team financially, but it has allowed him to make this history with the franchise.
That is something special fans will never forget.
Slowing Down
The massive contract Cabrera is playing on explains why he still finds himself in the lineup on a young team that is trying to rebuild with young talent.
Yet there has to be something special for the young guys to play with and learn from a living legend in Cabrera.
Not many rebuilding teams feature someone hitting their 500th home run.
Cabrera is a negative-WAR player on the year and that will likely be the case throughout the rest of his career.
But he has driven in over 50 runs on the year, so he is providing some sort of value, even if it is not to his past levels of being a two-time MVP and 11-time All-Star.
Cabrera has made history and the MLB world can spend Sunday admiring his work and witnessing history.
Next up will be his 3,000-hit, which will likely come sometime early next season.
He would have to go on a real tear to hit that mark in 2021.
NEXT: Miguel Cabrera On Brink Of MLB History In Two Exciting Categories