DETROIT — Monday night, Oswaldo Cabrera nearly cried as he stood at third base and for the first time shared a field with his hero.
Tuesday afternoon, he got to meet Miguel Cabrera.
The Yankees’ three young Venezuelans — Oswaldo Cabrera (no relation), Oswald Peraza and Everson Pereira — got out of a hitters’ meeting just in time to meet their fellow countryman and future Hall of Famer behind the batting cage at Comerica Park.
Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers star who is retiring after this season, spent time talking shop with an eager audience.
“I’m so happy right now, you can’t imagine how, meeting with one of my heroes,” Oswaldo Cabrera said shortly after the conversation that went on for some 10 minutes. “People talk about never meet your heroes because you’re gonna be disappointed. But I’ve met two of my three. Marwin Gonzalez is my guy. When I met him, he’s even more my hero. And meeting this guy [Miguel Cabrera], so awesome. Awesome person, awesome guy, player, everything.”
The Yankees’ Cabrera hugged the Tigers’ Cabrera multiple times and was beaming for much of the meeting in which he soaked in all the advice.
The night before, Oswaldo Cabrera had fought a battle to keep his emotions in check as he played third base and watched the 21-year MLB veteran at the plate.
“I tried, because there’s too many cameras,” he said with a laugh before the Yankees’ 4-2 win over the Tigers on Tuesday night. “I don’t want to do anything to look stupid or something,”
“At the same time, at that moment, I was — not shaking, but I was so excited. I was so emotional. In my mind, I was almost crying. If I didn’t have cameras around, I’d probably be crying, like happily.
“Obviously he’s a legend in Venezuela. He was one of my heroes when I was a kid. Being on the same field with him, that means a lot.”
In addition to Gonzalez, another Venezuelan he played with on the Yankees last season, and Miguel Cabrera, Oswaldo Cabrera said his third hero is Mario Lisson, a former Venezuelan infielder.
But in his first game against Miguel Cabrera, he acquitted himself well while going 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a leaping grab at third base.
“I want him to get a good impression of me,” Cabrera said.
“Being in the game against Miguel Cabrera means so much for me,” he added. “The first time I saw him at the plate was such an awesome moment. [I was] almost crying. But at the same time, it was like, ‘OK, we have to do this.’ But in my mind, it was like, ‘Man, I’m playing against this guy. This hero.’ ”
After hitting his second home run in as many days, Gleyber Torres was drilled in the left hand by a 98 mph fastball in the sixth inning. He was tended to by a trainer and Aaron Boone but remained in the game and did not undergo any testing.