Albert William Kaline was born on December 19, 1934 in Baltimore. At the age of 8, he developed osteomyelitis, an infection which would later almost kill Mickey Mantle before he could become a baseball legend. In Al's case, a piece of bone had to be removed from his left foot. Nevertheless, he played baseball, football and basketball at Southern High School in Baltimore (now Digital Harbor High School).
He started out as a pitcher, but on Southern's team, there was no room for another pitcher, so he was moved to the outfield. He was signed right out of high school at age 18, for $35,000. Under the rules for "bonus babies," he had to stay on the Tigers' major league roster for the rest of the 1953 season, and all of 1954. As a result, he never played in the minor leagues.
He made his major league debut on June 25, 1953, at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Wearing Number 25, he replaced Jim Delsing in center field in the 6th inning, and came to bat once, in the 9th inning, flying to center field off Harry Byrd. The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Tigers 5-2.
He only played in 30 games that season, but, as I said, the rule said he had to remain on the big-league roster. With no major league team in Baltimore while he was growing up, he had to look elsewhere for heroes, in the pages of the newspapers, magazines, and The Sporting News. His heroes in baseball were Ted Williams, who wore Number 9, and Stan Musial, who wore Number 6. When Pat Mullin was traded after the 1953 season, he told the Tigers to give Al the Number 6, and he wore it for the rest of his career.
He became the Tigers' starting right fielder in 1954, and finished 3rd in the American League's Rookie of the Year balloting. In 1955, thanks to 200 hits and 321 total bases, he batted .340, leading the League in each category. At age 20, he became the youngest player ever to win the AL's batting title.
He also made the 1st of 18 All-Star Games, and finished 2nd to the Yankees' Yogi Berra for the AL's Most Valuable Player award. He finished 3rd in 1956, 2nd in 1963 (again to a Yankee catcher, Elston Howard), and 5th in 1967, but never won the MVP.
In 1957, the Gold Glove Award was established, and Kaline won it for AL right fielders 10 times. He might have won it had it been there in 1956, and he led the AL in outfield assists, doing that again in 1958. But he missed significant playing time in both 1958 and '59 due to injuries. In spite of his '59 injury, he had enough plate appearances to lead the AL in slugging percentage.
That got him an appearance on the early 1960 game show Home Run Derby, alongside players like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. He didn't do well, though, hitting just 1 home run, losing to Aaron.
But he didn't get into a Pennant race until 1961. That year, the Tigers and the Yankees were close most of the way, until the Yankees swept them 3 straight in The Bronx in early September, and then split a 4-game series in Detroit in mid-September.
In spite of a .324 batting average and a League-leading 41 doubles from Kaline, a batting title by Norm Cash, 45 home runs by Rocky Colavito, and a 23-9 record by Frank Lary, a pitcher whose success against the Bronx Bombers got him nicknamed "The Yankee Killer," the Tigers won 101 games, but finished 8 games behind the Yankees, paced by the record-chasing home runs of Mantle and Roger Maris.
Legend has it that, during that early September series at Yankee Stadium, Kaline went out to right field, where Maris was playing and Babe Ruth once did, a fan yelled out, "Hey, Kaline! You're not half as good as Mickey Mantle!" and he yelled back, "Nobody is half as good as Mickey Mantle!" He was being modest: Al Kaline was at least 90 percent as good as Mickey Mantle.
He got hurt again in 1962 and 1964, before an orthopedic surgeon prescribed a corrective shoe for his left foot, the one that had to be operated on when he was a boy. He got hurt again in 1967, as Detroit was struck by the worst race riot of the 20th Century, and the Tigers just missed winning a 4-way Pennant race with the Boston Red Sox, the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox: The Red Sox won 92 games, the Tigers and Twins 91 each, and the White Sox 89. The Tigers were not eliminated until losing the 2nd game of a doubleheader on the final day.
*
Kaline was 33, and had gotten close to a Pennant twice, but still hadn't won one. The Tigers soared to the AL lead early in 1968, and never looked back, but Kaline wasn't a part of it much of the way, missing 2 months with a broken arm. Finally, manager Mayo Smith woke up to the reality that shortstop Ray Oyler was a wonderful fielder, but maybe the worst hitter in the major leagues. Smith took Mickey Stanley, who had been subbing for Kaline in right field, moved him to short, and returned Kaline to the lineup.
Kaline's hitting took off the rest of the way, joining fellow '61 holdover Cash, Willie Horton, Bill Freehan and Jim Northrup as hitting stars, the 31 wins of Denny McLain and the 17 of Mickey Lolich, on a team that won 103 games, good enough to take the Pennant by 12 games over the Baltimore Orioles, Kaline's hometown team, which would win the Pennant the next 3 years.
Finally getting the chance to play in the World Series, Kaline made the most of it. With the Tigers trailing the St. Louis Cardinals 3 games to 1, he hit a bases-loaded single in Game 5. He finished with a .379 average, 2 home runs and 8 RBIs. The Tigers took the last 3 games, including the last 2 in St. Louis, and won the Series.
Kaline helped get the Tigers back into the postseason in 1972, getting key hits in a last-week series with the Red Sox, and earning the Tigers the AL Eastern Division title. However, they lost the AL Championship Series to the Oakland Athletics.
The '72 Tigers were managed by Billy Martin. He said, "I have always referred to Al Kaline as 'Mr. Perfection." He does it all: Hitting, fielding, running, throwing. And he does it with that extra touch of brilliancy that marks him as a super ballplayer."
Baltimore Orioles 3rd base legend Brooks Robinson agreed: "There have been a lot of great defensive players. The fella who could do everything is Al Kaline. He was just the epitome of what a great outfielder is all about: Great speed, catches the ball, and throws the ball well."
In 1973, he was given the 1st Robert Clemente Award for community involvement, but his career was winding down. Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee remarked, "He had pigeon shit on him, because he was already a statue." He batted .300 or better 9 times, including .313 in 1972. But he batted just .255 in 1973 and .262 in 1974, dropping his lifetime batting average below .300 to .297. He also fell just short of hitting 500 doubles, with 498; and 400 home runs, with 399.
However, he did join the 3,000 Hit Club, and did it in style: On September 24, 1974, against the Orioles, in his hometown of Baltimore, he sliced a double to the opposite field, down the right field line at Memorial Stadium. He closed his career on October 2, going 0-for-2, to finish with 3,007 hits, as the Tigers lost 5-4 to the Orioles at Tiger Stadium. Not that anybody knew about OPS+ in 1974, but, for his career, his was 134, making him 34 percent better at producing runs than the average player in his time.
In a pregame ceremony, the Tigers made his 6 the 1st number they ever retired, and the City of Detroit renamed Cherry Street, which ran behind the left-field stands at Tiger Stadium, "Kaline Drive," a play on "line drive." And there was an entire generation of kids in Michigan who thought that "alkaline batteries" were named after Al Kaline.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980, appearing on 88 percent of the ballots in his 1st year of eligibility. For comparison's sake, the only other player elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America that year was Duke Snider, and it was his 11th year on the ballot. Also on the ballot for the 1st time were Orlando Cepeda and Ron Santo, both of whom had to wait for the Veterans Committee to vote them on, and Santo wasn't elected until after he died.
Indeed, there were 4 right fielders in his generation who got elected: Kaline, Aaron, Clemente and Frank Robinson. Kaline had easily the fewest home runs of them, but he had more hits than Robinson, and, of the other 3, only Clemente had more Gold Gloves. Clemente had 12, Kaline 10, Aaron 3, Robinson only 1.
In addition, Maris and Colavito, who moved to left field when he reached the Tigers, were both considered power hitters and great defensive right fielders, despite not making the Hall of Fame. But Maris only won 1 Gold Glove, Colavito (said to have the best outfield arm of that era, other than Clemente) never won any, and both had fewer hits and fewer home runs than Kaline.
Career OPS+? Aaron 155, Robinson 154, Kaline 134, Colavito 132, Clemente 130, Maris 127. So you can see what it took to be a better player playing primarily right field in that generation than Al Kaline.
Kaline, Brooks Robinson and Carl Yastrzemski are the only men to have played at least 22 seasons for just 1 team and no other. Kaline, Yaz, Musial and George Brett are the only players to have 3,000 hits, with 300 of them home runs, for just 1 team. Kaline, Clemente, Willie Mays and Ichiro Suzuki are the only players to have 3,000 hits and 10 Gold Gloves.
In 1999, The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Baseball Players. Kaline was ranked 76th. Later that year, he was named as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, and he was among the finalists who were introduced at a pregame ceremony before the All-Star Game at Fenway Park. He was also among the living Hall-of-Famers who were introduced at a pregame ceremony before the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium.
Although Ty Cobb, who played for the Tigers from 1905 to 1926, and set several major league records (some since broken), including career records for batting average, hits, runs scored and stolen bases, and had a memorial plaque on the outside wall of Tiger Stadium that called him "a genius in spikes," Kaline is the man known as "Mr. Tiger."
He remains the all-time most popular athlete in Detroit history. He ranks ahead of Cobb, or any other Tiger. He ranks ahead of any Lion, including Barry Sanders. He ranks ahead of any Piston, including Isiah Thomas. He ranks ahead of any Red Wing, including Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman.
*
Immediately after retiring as a player, Kaline became a color commentator on the Tigers' TV broadcasts, serving in this role from 1975 to 2002. On September 27, 1999, the last game was played at Tiger Stadium, against the Kansas City Royals. Each team's greatest living player appeared in uniform, to present the lineup cards to the umpires as honorary captains: Kaline for the Tigers, and newly-elected Hall-of-Famer Brett for the Royals.
The players in the Tiger lineup that day wore the numbers of the greatest player ever to play their respective positions for the Tigers. For this reason, Karim Garcia, later to help the Yankees win the 2003 Pennant, is the last Detroit Tiger to wear Number 6. Appropriately, he hit a home run... in the 6th inning.
The next season, the Tigers opened Comerica Park, and dedicated statues of their retired number honorees, including Kaline. After the 2002 season, he left the broadcast booth, and became a "special assistant" to general manager Dave Dombrowski. Like other such figures in baseball, including the Yankees' Reggie Jackson and the late Yogi Berra, this essentially made him both an honorary coach at Spring Training and a "club ambassador."
He was invited to throw out ceremonial first balls at the 1984, 2006 and 2012 World Series. He married Madge Hamilton, his high school girlfriend, in 1954, and they had sons Mark and Michael. Michael played baseball at Miami University of Ohio, and his son Colin played in the Tigers' minor-league system for 2 years, and is now coaching in the college ranks.
Posing with Justin Verlander at the 2012 World Series
After 67 seasons of involvement in the Tiger organization -- a 68th had sort-of begun -- Al Kaline died today, April 6, 2020, at his home in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He was 85 years old. No cause of death has been reported, but he was not known to be long-term ill, or to have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Tributes have come pouring in:
* Justin Verlander, who pitched for the Tigers before being traded to the Houston Astros: "Such a kind and generous man who meant so much to so many. I hope you knew how much I enjoyed our conversations about baseball, life, or just giving each other a hard time. I am honored to have been able to call you my friend for all these years. R.I.P. Mr Tiger, Al Kaline."
* Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench: "It was a privilege to have known and shared time with Al Kaline, one of the finest men to play the game and walk among us. I talked to him March 27 and got to tell him I loved him. Rest in Peace Mr. Tiger."
* Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer: "One of my favorite people, Al Kaline passes away. Such a graceful, elegant player. Always put the Tigers on my away schedule, just to see, talk with Al. My condolences to Louise , family and friends."
* Detroit Lions Hall-of-Fame running back Barry Sanders: "I am sorry to hear of the passing of Detroit sports legend, Al Kaline. It is always devastating to lose someone who means so much to the city. Rest easy, Mr. Tiger."
* Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan: "So sad to hear about the passing of Al Kaline. He was a legend on and off the field. Through his 22 seasons with the team, he brought joy to generations of Tigers fans across our state as he worked his way into the 3,000 club. Farewell, Mr. Tiger."
* Actor Jeff Daniels, who grew up in the Detroit suburb of Chelsea, Michigan: "He was the only fielder who could make the ball come to him. Goodbye, #6. #AlKaline"
* Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer Bob Seger, born in Detroit and grew up in nearby Ann Arbor: "Devastated to hear Al Kaline has passed away. I was lucky enough to meet Al a few times. He was a genuine hero of mine. I told him he & Willie Mays were my 2 favorite players of all time & he sent me a photo of him & Willie which I treasure! He was a great man & he wore it well!"
With his death, there are now 14 surviving players from the Tigers' 1968 World Championship team: Willie Horton, Denny McLain, Mickey Lolich, Bill Freehan, Dick Tracewski, Mickey Stanley, Don Wert, Jim Price, John Hiller, Tom Matchick, Fred Lasher, Wayne Comer, Jon Warden and Daryl Patterson. Freehan has been afflicted with Alzheimer's disease for years, and has been reported to be in hospice care.
And there are 3 surviving players who were contestants on Home Run Derby: Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Rocky Colavito.
UPDATE: As of 2022, I can still find no cause of death, or final resting place, for Al Kaline.
No comments:
Post a Comment