PITTSBURGH — Asdrubal Cabrera had a friend in Washington after he was let go by the Texas Rangers — and it was an influential one in Nationals hitting coach Kevin Long.
That partnership has paid off as Cabrera hit a three-run homer in the third inning as the Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-1 on Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
“I had been with Kevin Long. He knew me from the Mets,” the Venezuelan-born Cabrera said. “I still had a chance to play baseball.”
Long was the former hitting coach for the Mets. One of his pupils there was Cabrera, a veteran who can play all four infield spots.