It was a day of celebration for the Detroit Tigers prior to their matchup this afternoon at Comerica Park against the Toronto Blue Jays. Slugger Miguel Cabrera was honored with a special pre-game ceremony that included video tributes and speeches from the likes of manager A.J. Hinch and former catcher Alex Avila, as well as his 3,000th home run ball being hand delivered by former teammate and good friend Victor Martinez.
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“It was awesome,” Cabrera said afterward of the ceremony. “I say thank you to the fans, thank you to guys, thank you to the organization. It was a special moment.”
However, the celebration was quickly over once the actual game began. The Tigers as a whole managed only two singles over the course of the afternoon courtesy of Robbie Grossman and Harold Castro en route to a 6-0 shutout setback.
It can certainly be frustrating not only for the players themselves but for the fans who want to see their favorite team succeed. However, Cabrera maintains that the Tigers must remain positive in the face of adversity.
“It’s a long season,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen. We’re going to keep being positive and go out there tomorrow and play nine innings and play hard and try to win the game.”
Meanwhile, Hinch kept his eye on the next game, viewing it as an opportunity to rebound.
“We can cash in the rest of the season and just take the numbers as they are – that’s a horrible way to play professional sports,” he said. “It’s very reactionary and now how we’re going to operate. So tomorrow is the next opportunity and we can break out.”
The team will now turn their attention to a division rival, as they open a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Monday at 7:10 p.m. at Comerica Park.
