The New York Yankees intentionally walked Miguel Cabrera late in Thursday's game to deny the Detroit Tigers star a shot at his 3,000th hit.

As fans at Comerica Park booed the decision, Cabrera motioned for fans to calm down and pointed to the scoreboard.

"We're winning, 3-0, so it's OK," Cabrera said he tried to explain. "It's 3-0 in the [eighth]. We have the lead."

Cabrera was 0-for-3 as the cleanup hitter. He was walked after Austin Meadows hit a two-run double.

"This is baseball, you know? It was a lefty behind me at the plate," Cabrera said. "To walk me intentionally, that’s part of the game. I went 0-for-3, but we got a chance to win. Beautiful."