‘Couldn’t feel my legs’: Miguel Cabrera says 3,000 hit milestone was ‘emotional’ moment

DETROIT – It’s safe to say the entirety of the Detroit Tigers fanbase is proud of Miguel Cabrera for becoming one of only dozens in the league to reach 3,000 hits during a home game Saturday.

But hearing just how important the moment was for Cabrera himself makes the achievement even more special for those cheering him on.

“It was a very emotional moment for me and my family, to be honest with you guys. Today, I couldn’t feel my legs,” Cabrera said during a toast Saturday alongside his teammates. “I was so nervous and I wanted to do it in front of the hometown, Detroit. I wanted to do it in front of these fans.”

On Saturday, the lovingly-nicknamed Miggy swung his way into MLB history during the first inning of a home game against the Colorado Rockies. The first baseman recorded his 3,000th hit, becoming the 33rd player -- and the first-ever Venezuelan -- to do so in the league.

He is now one of only seven players in history to have achieved 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.

More: Congratulations pour in for Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera after 3,000th hit

Fans anxiously awaited this moment for days, as Cabrera rested at 2,999 hits during Thursday’s game, and then couldn’t make any headway when Friday’s game was rained out.

But Detroit Tigers fans headed to Comerica Park in droves on Saturday in hopes of witnessing history -- and witness they did.

“You guys saw how they supported us. They showed up today,” Cabrera said in the toast. “We showed up today too. We scored a lot of runs, we got a lot of hits, we got the win. I think that’s the most important thing for us: winning.

“We’ve got a great group of guys here. We can win this division. Let’s keep it up, let’s keep playing hard and let’s do it.”

You can watch Cabrera’s toast in a tweet by the Detroit Tigers below.

After racking up 842 hits in his first five seasons with the Marlins, Cabrera’s last 2,158 hits have all come in the Old English D. The only other Tigers to reach 3,000 hits -- Ty Cobb and Al Kaline -- did so entirely in Detroit.

This is the latest of many milestones for Cabrera, a future Hall of Famer who will now set his sights on climbing the all-time hit leaderboard. He’s currently tied with Roberto Clemente for 32nd all-time and could pass Kaline (3,007 hits) and Wade Boggs (3,010) in the next week or two.

Read more: Detroit Tigers’ Cabrera is 1st Venezuelan to reach 3,000 hits in MLB