LEADING OFF: Miggy still after 3,000, Sasaki's perfect roll

A look at what's happening around baseball Saturday:

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CABRERA REIGNS

Miguel Cabrera should get to swing for his 3,000th career hit after his pursuit was delayed a day by a rainout.

The Tigers are set for a day-night doubleheader against Colorado at Comerica Park. The teams were washed out Friday.

Cabrera got to 2,999 hits on Wednesday night, then struck out in his final at-bat of the game. The 39-year-old went 0 for 3 with an intentional walk on Thursday.

Antonio Senzatela (0-1, 2.16 ERA) is ready to pitch the first game of the twinbill for Colorado. The Rockies right-hander and Cabrera are both from Venezuela.

“He’s going to go down as one of the best hitters of all time,” Hall of Famer and former Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell said Friday.

“He realizes that it’s getting toward the end, but he still has something left in the tank. When it’s all said and done this year, I think he’s going to have a heck of a year,” he said.

JAPANESE PERFECTION

The baseball world will be watching this weekend to see whether Roki Sasaki can do it again.

The 20-year-old Japanese pitcher with the 100 mph fastball and devastating splitter has thrown 17 straight perfect innings. He’ll start Sunday for the Chiba Lotte Marines against the Orix Buffaloes in Osaka.

Sasaki pitched a perfect game against Orix on April 10, the first in Japan in 28 years. He followed up with eight more perfect innings on April 17 before he was pulled by manager Tadahito Iguchi after 102 pitches. Sasaki struck out a combined 33 in those games.

Sasaki grew up in the northeastern Japanese prefecture of Iwate. His father was killed in the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and subsequent meltdown on three nuclear reactors that devastated that part of the country.

DOUBLE...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/LEADING-OFF-Miggy-still-after-3-000-Sasaki-s-17121018.php