CLEVELAND (AP) — Detroit Tigers designed hitter Victor Martinez has reached 2,000 career hits, and did it against the franchise that signed him as a teenager out of Venezuela.
The switch-hitter singled in the second inning Friday night off Cleveland’s Carlos Carrasco to reach the plateau. After reaching first, Martinez received a lengthy standing ovation from the large Cleveland crowd. He played eight seasons with the Indians before being traded in 2009.
Martinez hugged Detroit first-base coach Omar Vizquel, his teammate in Cleveland and a fellow Venezuelan, before tipping his cap to the crowd. Players on both benches applauded and the game was briefly halted to acknowledge the feat.