Miguel Cabrera reaches 3,000 hits, becomes 7th player with 3K hits and 500 home runs

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Miguel Cabrera has once again made history, becoming the seventh player in Major League Baseball history with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.

Cabrera got his 3,000th hit on Saturday, April 23, against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning. 

The quest for 3,000 had to wait multiple days after Cabrera went 3-4 Wednesday evening. 

The longtime first baseman and now designated hitter struck out twice and flew out to left on Thursday against the Yankees. He was due up for one more at bat but was intentionally walked, sparking a chorus of boos from the Motown crowd.

Cabrera didn't get a chance to hit on Friday as the game was rained out and is being made up as a double header on Saturday.

Cabrera broke through on Saturday against the Rockies, becoming the 33rd player in history to get to 3,000 hits.

Cabrera moved within one hit of the milestone on Wednesday night, when he went 3-4 against the Yankees at a chilly Comerica Park. 

Cabrera beat out an infield hit in the second inning and singled up the middle in the fourth against Luis Severino, then grounded a single through the shortstop hole in the sixth off Chad Green (1-1).

The 39-year-old Cabrera struck out on a 1-2 sinker in the eighth.

The latest notch on the Hall of Fame career comes just two weeks into the 2022 MLB season, which started late due to the MLB players being locked out by owners over the winter and early spring.

Cabrera hit his 500th home run on Aug. 22, 2021, against the Baltimore Orioles, becoming the 28th player in history to reach that feat. 

In Cabrera's illustrious career, he's achieved the remarkable feat of the triple crown in 2012 - leading the league in batting average (.330), home runs (44), and RBIs (139). Prior to Cabrera achieving the feat, it had been 45 years since a player had done so.

He's a guaranteed Hall of Famer whenever he decides to hang it up. He's in his 14th year in Detroit and 18th year in the MLB overall. He's been to the all-star game 11 times, won the MVP in back-to-back seasons in 2012 and 2013, and is a 7-time Silver Slugger, the award given to the best offensive player at each position.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.