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Al Kaline 12/19/1934 - 04/06/2020 RIP#6

December 19, 1934: Al Kaline is born in Baltimore, Md. Al becomes a High School, and Legion Ball Phenom playing 2 and at times 3 games in a day. Kaline is signed by Ed Katalinas a day after graduating from high school and signs for $35K.
Al sits on the bench in 1953 between Johnny Pesky and Fred Hutchinson going in as a defensive replacement.
In 1955 Kaline becomes the youngest player to win a batting title, also leading the A.L. in Hits with 200 and Total Bases with 321.
A complete 5 tool ballplayer, Kaline becomes the greatest defensive outfielder in American League history, winning 10 Gold Gloves for fielding excellence. After 5 full years and 85 assists, opposing teams stop running on Kaline's legendary throwing arm considered to be the Most Accurate in Major League History. Kaline is voted to 18 All-Star games batting a cool .324 12 for 37 with 2 Homeruns.
Al is the runnerup in the A.L. MVP ballot in 1955 and 1963, winning the prestigious Sporting News A.L. Player of the Year Award those seasons, a 3rd place finish in the MVP ballot in 1956 and 10 years in the top 10 voting for MVP over his career.
In the 1968 World Series, Kaline?s only appearance in the Fall Classic, he batted .379, hit two home runs and drove in eight to help Detroit knock off the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.
Injuries keep Kaline from hitting 30 or home runs and several more seasons of 100+ Runs and 100+ RBI, missing 450 games to various injuries. Despite missing so many games, Kaline becomes the 12th member of the 3,000 Hit Club, and is a first ballot Hall Of Famer in 1980.
 
This must have been the last interview Kaline gave.
?It was sad to see it go. I kind of hoped they would keep a part of it ? at least a section of it ? so that people could take their kids and grandkids to see where Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, and Charlie Gehringer used to play.
I got to play there, as well. I was blessed to play a great game, and to do it in Detroit.? ? Al Kaline, former Detroit Tigers outfielder, April 2020.
 
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