Miami — There was a World Baseball Classic atmosphere inside LoanDepot Park Saturday. Huge, animated crowd of 32,936 — the largest crowd here since April of 2017. There were drums, cowbells, whistles. There was dancing, chanting, singing, flags waving.
The energy was palpable. The noise deafening. None more so than when Miguel Cabrera stepped to the plate in the second inning. The ovation induced goosebumps and it persisted. So much so that home plate umpire Jansen Visconti stopped the pitch timer and let the moment simmer.
The roof almost came off when Cabrera finally got settled into the batter’s box and lashed a ground-rule double into the corner in right.