Miguel Cabrera hits No. 400, becomes Venezuela’s all-time home run leader

Through the rain drops in St. Louis, Miguel Cabrera reached a career milestone and made baseball history with one swing of the bat during the Detroit Tigers 4-3 win over the Cardinals. 

With his first-inning solo home run off Trevor Lyons, Cabrera became the 53rd member of baseball’s 400 home run club and the eighth youngest at 32 years and 28 days. He’s the second to join the club in as many days. Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre hit his 400th on Friday night.

The home run also moved Cabrera past Andres Galarraga on the home run list, making him the all-time home run leader among players born in Venezuela. Leading up to the moment, that was the milestone that clearly meant the most to Cabrera on a personal level. 

“He was one of the best baseball players coming from Venezuela,” Cabrera said Friday. “I watched him, everybody watched him. He was a big-time hitter.”

Cabrera is not one to drag things out. He hit his 399th career home run on Friday night in St. Louis, before turning around and hitting 400 in his first plate appearance on Saturday. 

Perhaps he’s more about the drama, as the shot of him rounding the bases in the pouring rain looked straight out of a movie. 

Either way, he’s etched his name among an elite group of players. And unlike Beltre, who’s Hall of Fame resume may need a little more work, Cabrera is only further adding to an already firmly established Hall of Fame career.

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Keep in mind, Cabrera is only 32. Though slowed by injuries the past couple seasons, he still has a few years ahead of him and several more milestones that are within reach.

Already at 400 home runs, reaching 500 seems like a pretty safe bet. The home run also marked his 2,231st career hit, which means he’s on pace to reach 3,000 another three or four years down the road.

Another Triple Crown might be a long shot, but a third MVP isn’t beyond the realm of possibility. He’s simply an elite level hitter who when all is said and done might rank right along side of the great ones. 

Congrats to Miguel Cabrera on his big moment. Here’s to many more. 

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813