The 5 Best Miguel Cabrera Home Runs (VIDEOS)

Sep 25, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman

(24) hits a home run in the fourth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Miguel Cabrera seems on track to be back before Opening Day after having surgery this offseason.

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This is, of course, great news for Detroit Tigers’ fans, not only increasing the chances of winning, but just upping the sheer entertainment factor of every game he’s involved in. This is also great news for baseball fans who just simply love to see the guy hit a baseball.

We all know that Miguel Cabrera, affectionately known as “Miggy” (or “Cabby” if you’re so inclined), has become something of rarefied air. The first Triple Crown since 1967, stats nearly identical to Hall-of-Fame legend Hank Aaron, and his jovial personality mixed with competitive fire sets him apart from the pack.

During his career in Detroit, which began in 2008, Miguel has hit some timely, clutch and entertaining home runs.

Click through the slideshow to see videos of his top five home runs as a member of the Detroit Tigers.

#5: First homer as a Detroit Tiger

The 2008 Detroit Tigers were the consensus pick to win it all mainly because of their offseason blockbuster trade for young superstar Miguel Cabrera. They finished in last place, largely because of a lousy pitching staff, but the newbie lived up to the hype and then some.

The 24-year old already had an accomplished career in Miami, hitting over .300 three out of five seasons and becoming a World Series hero for the Marlins, champions of 2003.

The legend of Dave Dombrowski first surfaced when he stole Cabrera away from the Marlins and thus avoided him going to other teams via trade like the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox.

Cabrera has hit 252 of his 390 career homer wearing the Olde English D. It didn’t take him long to hit his first, on Opening Day 2008. It was the first of 37 on the year for him.

(Apologies for the quality of this video–the rest will be much better. Promise!)

#4: Miggy becomes first player to homer off Mariano Rivera in back-to-back at-bats

Miguel Cabrera was playing severely hobbled in the late summer of 2013. Following the season he would have core muscle surgery, but in this August series in the Bronx, it showed just how tough Cabrera is, that he could play through this injury and absolutely thrive.

While this counts as one entry, it’s actually two homers from Miggy here. The Tigers were in their final at-bats in a Friday night and Sunday afternoon game against the New York Yankees. The retirement tour of Mariano Rivera was in full swing but he had blown his previous save chance prior to the Tigers coming to town.

The Tigers’ bats were stymied through eight innings when Cabrera stepped to the plate in the ninth inning with one man on. Watch how he shakes off the pain to do this:

Two days later, the Tigers were in a similar situation when Cabrera stepped to the plate and brought the team closer with a home run, becoming the first player to hit a home run off Mo in consecutive at-bats.

Victor Martinez came up two batters later and tied the score. The Tigers lost each of these games, but the drama, entertainment, and clutch nature of these moon shots is something to be remembered.

#3: Miggy walks-off the Kansas City Royals

Before meeting the Yankees, Cabrera had some heroics the series before in Detroit against the Kansas City Royals. The Tigers had blown a couple leads and were nursing a one-run advantage with Jose Veras on in the eighth inning. That lead evaporated and the teams went into the bottom of the ninth inning tied at five runs a piece.

The first batter of the ninth inning made sure it was tied no longer.

#2: Miggy provides exclamation point to stunning seven-run comeback 

The 2011 Detroit Tigers were rolling through the beginning of September with a huge lead in the American League Central. They were trying to win their first divisional title since 1987 and return to the postseason for the first time since 2006. The team had a similar huge lead in 2009 at the same point of the season and bumbled it away, culminating in a 163rd game loss.

So collapse was on all fans’ minds as the Tigers were being outmanned by the Chicago White Sox. Brad Penny (remember him) allowed eight runs (four earned) in the first five innings and the team appeared headed to defeat in front of a nationally televised Saturday afternoon audience.

But the Tigers went to work and chipped away at the lead, getting clutch doubles from Miguel Cabrera and homers from Delmon Young, Wilson Betemit, and Ryan Raburn to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth.

To complete the stunning comeback, Miggy broke Chicago’s back.

This was the Tigers’ third-straight win. They would go on to win 11-straight and clinch the division about two weeks later.