With future uncertain, E-Rod gifts Miggy a send-off victory

DETROIT -- Sunday was Miggy’s day, and understandably so. But as Tigers nation saluted baseball legend Miguel Cabrera during his final curtain call, his teammate and fellow countryman Eduardo Rodriguez quietly delivered one final gift.

An assurance that Cabrera retired a winner.

“I'm really proud that I had the opportunity to pitch in his last game and take the win,” said Rodriguez, who limited the Guardians to two runs (one earned) in another seven brilliant innings on Sunday afternoon during Detroit’s 5-2 win in the season finale at Comerica Park. “[I can't] really explain how it feels, but I really feel proud of all we've been through, our friendship [and] the game today.”

Manager A.J. Hinch adjusted the rotation in the days leading up to ensure Rodriguez would get the nod in Miggy’s finale, going so far as to slot in an extra bullpen game so Rodriguez’s turn lined up on normal rest.

As Hinch said, it was Detroit’s best way to recognize Rodriguez’s accomplishments this season -- and what could potentially have been his last game with the Tigers -- without overshadowing the end of Cabrera’s all-but-certain Hall of Fame career.

Rodriguez, who signed a $77 million, five-year deal with Detroit in November 2021, has an opt-out clause after this season that allows him to test the free-agent waters should he so choose.

The left-hander will be coming off a 13-win season during which he posted the lowest season ERA (3.30) and opponents’ batting average (.227) of his eight-year career. He showed his allegiance to Detroit this summer by invoking his no-trade clause in the final hours before the Trade Deadline, but after the year he’s had, Rodriguez also stands to command more money on the open market than the $49 million remaining on the final three years of his current contract.

“I haven't really allowed myself to go there, because I don't really have a vote. It’s going to be up to him,” Hinch said Saturday about the speculation surrounding Rodriguez’s options. “I think it's really cool that he gets to start Sunday, just given his admiration for Miggy and given he was our Opening Day starter.

“And now he gets to close the season out in a packed house in front of everybody. And then, he's got a decision to make.”

The season finale wasn’t about Rodriguez or his future, though: It was about Cabrera, and the pitcher was determined to keep focus where it belonged. Rodriguez politely declined to speak with media on Saturday regarding his future with Detroit, preferring instead to let the spotlight shine fully on his good friend.

Even in the packed postgame clubhouse, Rodriguez purposefully steered the conversation toward Cabrera, who hung up his cleats in front of a sellout crowd of 41,425 after 21 seasons, 511 home runs and 3,174 hits.

“I was just going on the mound and doing my part and doing my job out there,” said Rodriguez, who hails from Valencia, Venezuela, about 35 miles west of Cabrera’s hometown of Maracay. “Today was my last start of the season, I know that, but today was just all about Miggy, and I really want to keep it that way.

“I want to be part of that -- I was part of that -- and I want to just celebrate with him, enjoy it and we'll see after that.”

Outside of a dropped ball in the third that led to an unearned run and a solo homer in the fifth, Rodriguez was the polished, dependable pro Tigers fans have grown to depend on during his two years in Detroit.

The start gave Rodriguez -- the Tigers’ Opening Day starter in 2022 and ’23 -- his 13th win, most among the club’s pitchers since Justin Verlander won 16 games in 2016.

The victory also put a nice little bow on a crucial season for Rodriguez, who’s put himself in prime position to explore the market this winter.

More importantly to Rodriguez, his contributions helped Detroit build a lead that allowed Cabrera to relax and bask in his moment.

The tribute was pretty great from Rodriguez’s vantage point as well.

“To have the opportunity to go out there, as soon as I stepped on the mound ... I felt like I had one of the best views of all of it. Putting my head up and watching the messages [in the crowd], and everyone in the whole stands was doing that. It was something special to see,” he said.

“… [Then] to see his last at-bat, go out there, see him and hug him and feel the way he was feeling, and feel his body ... shaking. It was just something amazing. Amazing to see, amazing to feel, amazing to be part of it.”