Inside the Article:
With Detroit Tigers‘ future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera having over 3,000 career hits and over 500 home runs, we thought it would be fun to look back at when he picked up his first career hit. That hit just so happened to come exactly 20 years ago to the day, and it was one he will never forget.
Miguel Cabrera’s first MLB hit is a walk-off home run for Marlins
Let’s take a walk down memory lane to this day in 2003 (June 20), when a much younger (and leaner) Miguel Cabrera made his major league debut for the then-Florida Marlins. Watch as Cabrera’s first career hit is a walk-off home run!
Bottom Line: Miggy got started with a bang
Cabrera broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the 11th inning with a two-run homer to dead center for his first career big fly, propelling the Marlins to a 3-1 win over the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Miggy played a large portion of that season in left field and gradually transitioned to third base as his career began to blossom. He spent five seasons with the Fish before the blockbuster deal in the off-season prior to the 2008 MLB season, that shipped him to Detroit, along with lefty Dontrelle Willis, in exchange for five Tigers’ prospects at the time, headlined by Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin.
Cabrera finished 5th in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2003, which was ultimately won by his teammate, the aforementioned Dontrelle Willis. The Marlins went on to win their second World Series in a seven-year span, and just their 11th year of existence at the time.
