On a cloudy Tuesday evening with a hint of fall in the air, 39,919 Bears fans witnessed a milestone: Pedro Morales’s 3,000th career hit.

Early in the evening he registered 2,999 with a line drive single off Detroit Thunderbirds starter Terry Noble. With all in attendance on their feet—including both dugouts and bullpens—Morales returned to the plate in the fourth. He again faced Noble, but this time it was with the bases loaded. The tension in The Den was palatable, could Pedro reach the previously thought unattainable with a grand slam?

Noble, not wanting to be the answer to a future trivia question, caught the corner to go ahead 0-1, then put Morales further in the hole, 0-2, on a fouled-off a curve ball that seemed to fool him. Noble wasted a pitch to make it 1-2 then tried to finish off the at bat with curve ball which was fouled straight back. On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Noble tried to run the heater inside. In what appeared to be a swing to fight the inside pitch off, Morales sent a slow roller past the mound between first and second. Pedro took off out of the box like a man on a mission. With the bases juiced and two outs, T-Birds second-sacker Trace Brunel was playing back. Seeing the squibber, he charged in and bare-handed the ball. Brunel’s play and throw was perfect, but Morales streaked down the first-base line. A hush fell over the crowd. Had he beaten the throw? The first-base umpire gave the safe sign. Pandemonium broke out as the scoreboard in center flashed a giant 3,000! The standing ovation went on and on with Morales grinning sheepishly standing at first trying to calm the crowd so the game could go on. It wasn’t a home run, but it did drive in his second run of the game making it 4-1 Bears. That would be the final score.

There was a brief ceremony after the din died down in which Morales was given a plaque, the ball, and the bat. Post game, Morales was his usual modest self, saying that this was a testament to his teammates, Bears management, and the fans who have supported him over his 18-year career.

When ask if he ever thought of getting to 3,000 hits earlier in his career, Morales said, “How do you dream of something that has never been done? It became a possibility about a year ago. It has really affected me at the plate the last week or so. When I posted hit 2,990 it became all too real. I am glad it is over so we can work on bringing a GLBL title home to the fans without other distractions around the club.”

While accolades continue to pour into Traverse City’s clubhouse, here is a brief summary of highlights of Pedro Morales career:

Born: 17 November 2011 Puerto Cortes, Honduras
Signed: 29 January 2028 as minor league free agent by Duluth
Traded: From Duluth to Traverse City along with LHP Roger Michaud for RHP Juan Castaneda
First GLBL Hit: April 2031 as a 19 year old
2,000th GLBL Hit: 6 June 2043
2,500th GLBL Hit: 7 August 2046
USA All-Star: 19 times, every year since his debut
Led USA: Runs (2032, 2049?), Hits (2032, 2033, 2036.2037, 2039, 2046), Doubles (2031), Triples (2033), RBI (2035, 2042), SB (2034, 2035, 2036, 2037, 2038, 2039, 2044, 2047, 2048, 2049?), BA (2032, 2036, 2039), OBP (2049?), SLG (2035, 2042, 2044), OPS (2042, 2044), WAR (2036, 2042, 2043, 2046, 2048, 2049?)
Career Stats: Slash line .308/.378/.496 in 11002 PA, 9732 AB, 580 2B, 112 3B, 342 HR, 1342 RBI, 1014 BB, 1473 K, 937 SB, 324 CS, .874 OPS, 149 OPS+, 130.3 WAR in 2638 G (2435 starts)