Fans remain at the ready for Miggy's 500th

DETROIT -- The chants of “MIG-GY” were echoing around Comerica Park on Friday night as Miguel Cabrera stepped to the plate against Bryan Shaw with two outs and a runner on in the eighth inning. The longtime American League Central foes battled for seven pitches, Cabrera fouling off a couple fastballs he seemingly had timed, before sending a ball to center that briefly had fans oohing on its way for an out.

It could well have been a scene from five or more years ago, when Detroit was the division titan and Cleveland the upstart contender. But amidst the chase for Cabrera’s 500th career home run, it might well be a preview for the Tigers of the atmosphere this city and its fans can offer if the Tigers can ride this new core into contention in the near future.

“Obviously people are here to see Miggy, as they should be, but we feel that energy too,” said Eric Haase, whose 19th home run of the season was one of few offensive highlights in a 7-4 loss on a night when Cabrera went 0-for-4. “We’ve been a winning ballclub over the last couple months, and even with or without Miggy’s milestones, there have been more and more people getting excited about Tigers baseball again.”

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Haase remembers the days when that kind of atmosphere was the norm, having grown up in nearby Westland a decade ago. So does Jacob Robson, who grew up across the river in Windsor, Ontario, and made his first Major League start in left field for his hometown team in the park where he attended Game 2 of the 2006 World Series as a kid.

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Still, Cabrera’s chase for history amped up the energy. What was already a big sports night downtown with the Tigers and Lions playing across the street from each other grew bigger when Cabrera returned home with 499 career homers, having rested Thursday in Baltimore. An announced crowd of 22,107 included packed sections in right field that filled up the aisles every time Cabrera stepped to the plate. Even along the outfield concourse, fans with no chance at catching a 500th home run lined the railings just to soak in the energy and try to catch a glimpse of history heading in their direction.

“Miggy is living proof that legends exist,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “They’re not just in your mind. They’re in front of us every day, and that matters. Miguel Cabrera playing every day on a team that’s starting to win feels right.”

Fans not only gave Cabrera a standing ovation each time he stepped to the plate, they kept standing throughout each at-bat, often with their cell phones aimed toward home plate. Many followed the countdown, but each swing was potentially the moment. One family from Virginia followed the team back from Baltimore, making the long drive, after realizing he wasn’t playing Thursday. The Tigers provided tickets after reading about their plight on Twitter.

“I loved our fans tonight. It was a great atmosphere,” Hinch said. “The buzz, the standing ovation, just standing through the Miggy at-bats, really cool. I’m glad they brought it tonight. I hope they bring it tomorrow, and I hope we give them a better performance.”

Cabrera will start at first base on Saturday night, likely with a similar crowd. Hinch and the Tigers, meanwhile, will try to channel the energy of a historically great hitter’s milestone and make it a team event.

“We walk that fine line of understanding that any swing could reach a milestone that's only been reached by very few, but at the same time balance that,” Hinch said before the game. “That's not why we all showed up for work today, and that's the way Miggy wants it, and that's the way we're going about it.”

The crowd reacted as soon as Miggy stepped out of the dugout in the bottom of the first inning against starter Zach Plesac, who struck him out on a curveball as part of a string of 11 consecutive Tigers retired following Robbie Grossman’s leadoff double.

Cabrera’s fourth-inning fly ball off Plesac drew some reaction before it fell harmlessly to Myles Straw in center. Cabrera led off the sixth inning with a groundout to third.

Plesac left the game with two outs in the eighth for Shaw, whose single allowed to Jonathan Schoop extended the inning for Cabrera to get one more at-bat. A big drive there would’ve only whittled Detroit’s deficit, not erased it, but it would’ve sent the crowd and the dugout into a frenzy.

Instead, those fans in right field settled for Indians rookie Ernie Clement’s first big league home run, part of a two-homer night for him, along with Haase’s 440-foot drive into the center-field shrubs. Renato Núñez’s fourth homer in nine games as a Tiger provided the final tally.