Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland took Miguel Cabrera out in the fifth inning of Tuesday night's 4-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals.
"You do a lot of things instinctively as a manager," Leyland said. "I said, 'You know what, three at-bats is enough.' "
On the one hand, Leyland had to weigh protecting Cabrera's lead in the batting race and getting him rested for the playoffs. On the other hand, Leyland knows critics will suggest that the early exit will allow Cabrera to "back in" to the batting title and Triple Crown - even though Cabrera has batted more times this season than any of the last 10 Triple Crown winners did in their Triple Crown seasons.
Cabrera has 695 plate appearances. The last Triple Crown winner who had more was Rogers Hornsby of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1922.
When Cabrera left the game Tuesday night, he was 2-for-3 with two singles and two RBIs. He had the hits the first two times up to give him hits on six consecutive at-bats over the last two nights. He continued to lead the American League in all three Triple Crown categories. "He's certainly not backing into anything," Leyland said.
Leyland might face a much more noticed decision on whether to play Cabrera in today's season finale and when to remove him. The Tigers' finale will start later than any other AL game today.
