Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera made history on Wednesday night, becoming the first man in over 40 years to win the American League Triple Crown.
Cabrera finished the season as the league-leader in batting average, home runs and RBIs. He played in the final game of the season, going 0-for-2 in two at bats before being taken out in the fourth inning. The Tigers won the game 1-0 against the Kansas City Royals.
"It was like, everybody said to me it was unbelievable," Cabrera told to the Associated Press. "They were excited to see this, enjoy this, be a part of something big, and winning, I feel better."
He is the first player since Carl Yastrzemski to win the Triple Crown and the first since Frank Robinson in 1966 to win it outright, meaning he had the sole lead in all three categories.
Cabrera finished the season with a .330 batting average, 44 homers and 139 RBIs.
"It's an unbelievable feeling," he said. "I can't describe the feeling right now."
Mike Trout was the closest in batting average, finishing the season at .326 after going 2-for-3 on Wednesday.
"He's the best hitter in the game," Trout said of Cabrera. "I think his approach, the way he battles with two strikes -- you leave one pitch over the plate that at-bat, and he's going to hit it. He had an unbelievable year."
He had a safe lead in RBIs through the last week of the season, finishing with 139, 11 more than Josh Hamilton, who finished in second place with 128.
On the final day of the season the biggest threat to the Triple Crown was the home run race. Cabrera had 44 entering Wednesday's game, while Hamilton had 43 and Curtis Granderson had 41. Hamilton finished his game in the afternoon with no home runs, but Granderson threatened the title, hitting two against Boston in the Yankees 14-2 victory.
"It was hard the last two days because everybody talked about it. I just had to focus; I had to go out there and do the job," Cabrera said. "The hardest part was to go out there and focus and win games. I said, 'If we win the division, everything would take care of itself.'"
Winning the Triple Crown is one baseball's highest achievements. It has been won by 20 men in history, not one since 1967, until now. Cabrera joins a club of Hall of Famers who have won the Crown, including Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx.
"It's pretty amazing," said the Royals' Alex Gordon. "Honestly, his numbers are like that every year. He has a great average, great home runs, great RBIs. He's a guy who can pull this off, and it's great for the game."
Even more impressive, Cabrera was able to lead his team to the playoffs.
"I am glad that he accomplished this while leading his team to the American League Central title," Yastrzemski said in a statement. Yastrzemski's Red Sox also made the playoffs the year he won the Crown, making it all the way to the World Series.
When manager Jim Leyland took Cabrera out of the game in the fourth, he received a standing ovation from the crowd in Kansas City.
"I would say without question he's enjoyed it. How could you not enjoy what he's done if you're a baseball player?" Leyland said. "I doubt very much, knowing him, that he necessarily enjoys all the extra attention and all the extra conversations he's had to have. It's kind of out of his realm in personality, to be honest with you."
The Venezuelan slugger busted onto the scene in 2003 after getting called up to the majors by the Florida Marlins. He played a big part in the playoffs for the team and hit a home run off Roger Clemens in the World Series, which the Marlins won.
He soon established himself as one of the premier offensive players in the game, hitting at least 25 home runs and 100 RBIs for each of his four full seasons with the Marlins. He continued his ascent with the Tigers, hitting at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in his last four seasons. In 2011 he hit for a career high .344 batting average.
Cabrera has made seven All-Star teams, won a batting title in 2011 and is a three-time Silver Slugger award winner.
The last National League Triple Crown came in 1937 by Joe Medwick, an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. That season, Medwick hit .374 with 31 home runs and 154 RBIs.
The next step for Cabrera will be trying to win a World Series and possibly an MVP award. The debate by sportswriters is between the rookie Trout and Cabrera for the award, with one side favoring Cabrera's dominance, while the other favors Trout's sheer brilliance. The Angels star became the first rookie to steal 40 bases and hit 30 home runs in a season.
Whether he wins the award or not, Cabrera's achievement puts him in rare company and will not be soon forgotten.
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