Triple Threat

The Season closes with a crown replacing the Detroit tigers hat worn by Miguel Cabrera.

Cabrera conquered three kingdoms throughout the regular season. He seized territories in the realms of batting average, home runs, and runs batted in. The almighty Triple Crown sits upon the head of a Tiger.

By no means was Cabrera’s conquest flashy, and he almost got caught. The Tiger went 0-2 in the game and was taken out in the fourth inning of the final regular season game of 2012.

Factor in Curtis Granderson of the Yankees hitting two home runs on the season’s last day and a Shakespearean tragedy was almost upon us. Still, Granderson, Josh Hamilton, and the rest of baseball fell flat in their storming of Cabrera’s statistical fortress. 

This new king of baseball’s iron throne is not the first Tiger to reach statistical nirvana. Ty Cobb accomplished the feat back in 1909. You know, a year removed from the Chicago Cubs winning their only World Series for the century.

There were only ten other men in American League history who ravaged the landscape of baseball like Alexander the Great. The most recent man was Carl Yastrzemski, in 1967. And even though Cabrera did not channel his inner Mickey Mantle and go 5-5 in his last game of the year, he didn’t have to. Cabrera has achieved statistical dominance that Musial, Aaron, Bonds, Clemente, and Kaline never did in a single season.

Any claim that Cabrera backed into baseball immortality is laughable. Cabrera had eleven more runs batted in than Hamilton, a batting average four points higher than super-rookie Mike Trout, and more homers than anyone else in baseball.

Also let us not forget to thank the foot soldiers who helped their king achieve glory. No one man can conquer a castle and since Cabrera did not hit 139 solo home runs, some credit has to be given to his teammates for getting on base for him to knock home.

This crowning achievement has effectively ended the best hitter in the game debate that took up the better part of the season. The tiger has power to all fields the trout can’t match. Sure, Trout’s speed and ability to steal more bases than the hamburglar steals burgers keep the best overall player debate going. However, the most dangerous weapon in baseball is the 33 ounce timber on Cabrera’s shoulder.

Not to mention Cabrera’s conquest and great pitching down the stretch by Detroit has the Tigers in the playoffs. No wildcard game birth, but rather AL Central Champions. Trout will be gone fishing this October.

Greatness is given not earned. In the 2012 season, Cabrera seized statistical awards, immortality, and a playoff birth in one campaign. And whatever happens in October and November, Cabrera will be remembered for the realms he conquered even if he does not win the biggest prize of all.