Miguel Cabrera has officially played his final MLB game. The Detroit Tigers legend gave one of his teammates a goodbye present to remember after the final out was made at Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich.
The Sunday matchup between the Tigers and Cleveland Guardians served as the sendoff for the retiring Cabrera. In a surprise gesture to the 2-time MVP, Tigers manager AJ Hinch sent out Cabrera in the top of the 8th inning to take his familiar spot at first base. Prior to his insertion, Cabrera had not played a single inning of defense since October 2021.
The baseball gods were fully aware of what needed to happen. Guardians batter Steven Kwan hit a soft grounder to first that was easily fielded by Cabrera. The 40-year-old got a standing ovation from every fan in the stadium as his family joined him on the field following the out.
But since Cabrera had no idea he was going to play defense on Sunday, he didn’t have a glove. Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson lent his glove to Cabrera for the lone out. Torkelson was paid back generously by Cabrera, who autographed the glove while also listing his career achievements on it.
While the autograph and inscriptions are awesome, the glove’s historical significance as the final one Cabrera ever used arguably gives it much more value.
It’s only fitting that Torkelson, the Tigers’ current everyday first baseman, had the honor of keeping it.
The glove is also probably a hundred times more valuable than the hilarious retirement gift the Oakland Athletics gave Cabrera last month.
Cabrera finishes his career with 3,174 hits and 511 home runs across 21 seasons. He was a 12-time All-Star, 7-time Silver Slugger, and 4-time batting champ.
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