The 38-year-old Cabrera hit a 1-1 pitch by left-hander Steven Matz, sending the ball over the marker in right-center field. Measured at 400 feet, the home run tied it at 1.
The public was offered to Cabrera
The 14,685 fans at the Rogers Center rose to a standing ovation as Cabrera rounded the bases. After celebrating with his teammates, the Tigers slugger stepped out of the dugout to accept a curtain call, removed his helmet and bowed to the crowd behind the Detroit dugout.
Miguel Cabrera, who won the Triple Crown and the first of the consecutive MVP awards in 2012, is the first Venezuelan to hit 500 home runs. He hopes to become the first hitter to hit 500 home runs and 3,000 hits in the same season.
Miggy can reach 3,000 RBIs for life
Miguel Cabrera’s 500 home run was 2,955 of his career, and he can hit that 3,000 milestone this year too, if he can stay healthy and average one hit per game. Only six players have 3,000 hits and 500 home runs: Hank Aaron, WillieMays, Rafael Palmeiro, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and Eddie Murray.
His quest for these big numbers has turned into a bright spot for a Detroit team that finally appears to be emerging from a difficult rebuilding, closing in on a .500 record.
Sixth foreign player to reach the 500 HR mark
Miguel Cabrera is the sixth player born outside the United States to hit 500 home runs. He joins Pujols, Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Manny Ramírez and David Ortiz, who reached the mark in 2015 and was the last to achieve the feat.
He is also the first player to reach the mark in a Tigers uniform. In 2012, Cabrera became the first player in 45 years to win the Triple Crown by leading the league in batting average, home runs and RBI.
A successful and long career for Cabrera
When Miguel Cabrera made his major league debut with the Marlins in 2003, he was just 20 years old. He helped them win the World Series that year.
The Tigers acquired him in a trade with the Marlins in 2007, a year after losing the World Series to St. Louis, in the hope that it would help them win a world championship for the first time since 1984.
Miggy, a symbol of the Detroit Tigers
While other Tigers, like superstar pitcher Justin Verlander, were traded, Miguel Cabrera’s declining value and huge contract made it difficult to move. His 500th home run was his 13th this season, his highest total since 2017.
Although Cabrera was a surprising distance from both home run and milestones when the season began, no one knew what those pursuits would look like due to his recent plate struggles. He homered on Opening Day in the snow, but by the All-Star break, he had gone deep just seven times and there were doubts he could pull off the feat this year.