The 39-year-old Venezuelan, in his 20th season, is the 33rd player to reach the milestone in the 119-year-old history of Major League Baseball.
The hit, off Rockies righty Antonio Senzatela, comes one season another career milestone — Cabrera’s 500th home run.
After the hard grounder to right, with a runner on first base, Cabrera pointed his right arm toward the sky and pumped his fist on his way to first. He then exchanged a hug with Rockies shortstop Jose Iglesias, a friend and former Tigers teammate.
Cabrera joins Henry Aaron, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, Willie Mays, Rafael Palmeiro, and Eddie Murray as the only players in history to amass 3,000 career hits and 500 home runs.
“Seeing Miguel grow from a teenager taking batting practice on the neighborhood fields in Venezuela to becoming one of the best players in baseball history has been one of the great joys of my life,” Al Avila, the Tigers executive vice president and general manager, said in a statement.
Now Cabrera is one double away from securing a spot as one of the game’s premier hitters — becoming only the third player in MLB history with 3,000 hits, 500 home runs and 600 doubles in his career.
Cabrera is an 11-time All-Star, four-time batting champion and two-time American League MVP.
In 2012, Miggy — as Cabrera is known in the game — became the first player to win the Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 after leading the American League in home runs, RBIs and batting average.