This stat puts Yankees decision to walk Miguel Cabrera in question

With 3,000 hits on the line and first base open, the Yankees opted to walk Miguel Cabrera, robbing Tigers fans of a chance to see history on Thursday afternoon.

Comerica Park erupted in chants of “Yankees Suck!” in the aftermath of Boone’s decision, but he did not care. He’d do it again, a thousand times over.

With Yankees left-handed reliever Lucas Luetge on the mound, Boone opted to walk Cabrera, a right-handed hitter and future Hall of Famer at the dish, in favor of facing left-handed slugger Austin Meadows.

For the majority of his career, Meadows has struggled against lefties. This is a frequent fact for left-handed hitters — they struggle against left-handed pitching. But early this season, Meadows is disproving that trend.

Yankees: Should Aaron Boone have walked Miguel Cabrera?

Much of baseball media called Boone’s decision into question, but Tigers manager AJ Hinch did not, stating that he expected the Yankees skipper to pass over Miggy in favor of the left-on-left matchup.

Most of the fans in the stands and online disagreed, of course, but that’s the way of playing against the evil empire.

“(Aaron Boone)’s obligation is to his own team and their chances of winning and he has the matchup behind Miggy that he wanted. So you could see it coming. I know our fans responded accordingly, but I totally get it,” Boone said after the game.

As for Cabrera, he was no upset with the final result — a win for his team to avoid a home sweep. Miggy was even pleased that he raised his on-base percentage without taking the bat off his shoulders.

The Tigers homestand continues on Friday night, as they face the Colorado Rockies.