Miguel Cabrera had amazing quote when asked about closing in on hit No. 3000

Miguel Cabrera got his 2,999th career hit Wednesday night. But the future Hall of Famer didn’t want to talk about that.

The Detroit Tigers lost to the New York Yankees by a score of 5-3 on Wednesday, but that wasn’t the story. Miguel Cabrera went 3-for-4 and came within one base hit of 3,000 for his career.

But after the game, Cabrera showed why (beyond his on-field accomplishments) he’ll soon be immortalized in baseball lore. Marly Rivera of ESPN asked Cabrera about being just one hit shy of 3,000. The Tigers star, rather than focusing on himself, decided instead to shine the spotlight on his team.

"“Who the f— cares. We lost. When has this game ever been about individual accomplishments?”"

Miguel Cabrera cares more about the Tigers winning than hit No. 3000.

What a breath of fresh air from Miguel Cabrera. In a day and age when so much focus is on the individual accomplishments of athletes and how they can “build their brand” through social media, the Detroit Tigers designated hitter took the opportunity to talk about the team aspect of sports.

While numbers and individual stats have defined baseball for generations, those who’ve been in the game for a long time start to see the value of winning championships rather than taking home individual accolades.

Sure, fans remember when Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb’s record for most hits or when Cal Ripken Jr. surpassed Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games. But baseball has always been a team game, and those individual records are meaningless if you’re constantly part of a losing team.

Take Mike Trout for instance. An overwhelming majority of fans will tell you that he’s the best player in the game, and perhaps could be the best player of all-time. But throughout his career, winning has alluded the three-time AL MVP. Trout has been to the postseason just once in his career.

Miguel Cabrera will get his opportunity for hit No. 3000 this afternoon in front of the home fans at Comerica Park in Detroit. If Cabrera reaches that milestone, he’ll no doubt be ecstatic. But it sounds as if he’ll have a bigger smile on his face if the Tigers take down the Yankees this afternoon.