Pirates journeyman SP to face Tigers legend again, 18 years after MLB debut

The 40-year-old Cabrera is planning to retire at the end of the 2023 season, while the 43-year-old Hill signed a one-year deal with the Pirates over the winter and could be in his final months on an MLB diamond. The two teams will play a two-game set at the beginning of August as well, potentially giving the pair of veterans one last matchup if things line up that way.

A 12-time All-Star, Cabrera is one of the best righthanded hitters of all time, with his seven Silver Slugger Awards, four batting titles and back-to-back AL MVPs in 2012 and 2013. "Miggy" also captured the rare triple crown during his first MVP campaign with a league-leading 44 home runs (career high), 139 RBI (career high) and .330 batting average.

His triple crown was the first since 1967 when Boston Red Sox icon Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the feat. As a rookie, Cabrera also helped lead the Florida Marlins to their last World Series title in 2003 and last year, the Venezuelan became the 33rd member of the 3,000-hit club. Cabrera is the only active player in the club after Albert Pujols retired last season.

Hill is in his 19th big league season and Pittsburgh is his 12th team. The soft-tossing lefty had his third stint with the Red Sox in 2022 prior to joining the Pirates, going 8-7 with a 4.27 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 124 1/3 innings pitched in 26 starts.

Hill is 3-3 with a 4.35 ERA and 1.47 WHIP over 41 1/3 innings pitched in eight starts this season.

When Hill made his debut in June 2005, Cabrera was already in the middle of his second All-Star campaign. The lefty hurler didn't start that game for the Chicago Cubs, but he was one of five arms to come on in relief of Hall of Famer Greg Maddux that day.

Cabrera finished the 15-5 Marlins win 3-for-6 with a home run, a double, three runs scored and three RBI, while Hill went one inning and allowed two runs (both earned) on three hits while picking up two strikeouts. The slugger hit a one-out double in the top of the sixth inning against Hill and came around to score on a Mike Lowell two-bagger.

Fans of mid-2000s MLB may have fun hearing some of the names who appeared in that afternoon's tilt at Wrigley Field. Cabrera's teammates that game included speedsters Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo, power bat Carlos Delgado and flamethrower A.J. Burnett (that day's winning pitcher) among others, while Hill was joined by the likes of Maddux, that year's NL batting champion Derrek Lee and two-time All-Star Ryan Dempster.