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Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera has won Major League Baseball’s first batting Triple Crown award in over 40 years.
Cabrera entered Wednesday leading all three Triple Crown categories in the American League. Detroit could have decided to rest him in order to keep the impressive achievement intact, but the slugger suited up for the club’s regular season finale. Despite going 0-2 at the plate, Cabrera finished first in all three of the primary offensive rankings with a batting average of .330, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs.
Cabrera was a few percentage points away from leading the majors in all three categories, as he trailed only San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, who finished the season hitting .336, in batting average.
With the regular season now over and Cabrera’s Triple Crown in hand, the attention of fans and analysts of the game alike will turn to the upcoming vote for the AL’s Most Valuable Player. This award figures to come down to Cabrera and Los Angeles Angels rookie phenom Mike Trout.