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USATSI

Detroit Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera will retire after the season, making Thursday's game against the Boston Red Sox his final career home opener. Cabrera seems intent on making the most of it. To open the show, he was tasked with throwing out one of the ceremonial first pitches, alongside Detroit sports legends Ben Wallace (Pistons), Calvin Johnson Jr. (Lions), and Nicklas Lidström (Red Wings):

By game time, he was ready, driving in a run with a timely two-out single in the bottom of the third that gave Detroit an early 3-1 lead. Take a look:

Cabrera, who will celebrate his 40th birthday on April 18, has stressed to reporters that he's not feeling down about his retirement tour -- if anything, he's relieved that he gets to depart on his own terms. "Not too many guys in baseball get a chance to say goodbye," he told Evan Woodbery of Michigan Live. "I want to enjoy the last ride...I'm happy with this moment. I'm not sad. I'm happy because it's been 21 good years in the big leagues."

Cabrera entered Thursday's contest having batted .143/.200/.214 with no home runs and just one extra-base hit in his first 15 trips to the plate this season. It's fair to write that the Tigers shouldn't expect him to turn back the hands of time -- he hasn't been an above-average producer since 2020. 

Still, that doesn't mean Cabrera can't offer the Tigers and their fans some additional memories to stash alongside those that have endured over his 16 seasons in town. (Not to mention the other five years he spent with the now-Miami Marlins.) Thursday served as a good reminder of that.