Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera hit a pair of home runs in Monday's 12-1 win over the Cleveland Indians to move into sole possession of fifth place in franchise history, per Lee Sinins of Complete Baseball Encyclopedia.
Cabrera, who previously hadn't homered since Aug. 2, hit a two-run shot in the first inning to match Cecil Fielder's 245 home runs with the Tigers, before passing Fielder with an opposite-field solo blast in the eighth. Both home runs barely cleared the fence, with the first a line drive to left field, while the second was a towering fly ball to right.
The two-time reigning AL MVP gingerly made his way around the bases throughout the game, as he's been dealing with an ankle injury for the last two weeks. After sitting out Sunday's series finale versus the Chicago White Sox, Cabrera finished the Labor Day victory with four hits, four runs and three RBI in five-at bats.
The first long ball ended a 27-game home run drought, the longest of Cabrera's career, per ESPN Stats & Info.
The second—No. 384 for his career—not only moved Cabrera past Fielder on the franchise list, but also moved the slugging Venezuelan past Larry Walker for 61st place on the all-time major-league list as per MLB's official website.
Though his 19 home runs this season fall far short of expectations, the 31-year-old Cabrera still looks like a near-lock to eventually join the 500-homer club, which currently has 26 members.
He hit 44 home runs in both 2012 and 2013, capping off a streak of seven consecutive 30-homer seasons that will likely end this year. Needing just 116 more to join the 500-homer club, Cabrera has hit 35 long balls per 162 games in his career, and has still never been placed on the disabled list.
He needs 154 more homers—which would give him 538 for his career—to pass Al Kaline (399) for first place on the Tigers' all-time list.
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