(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos are Archive)
IN MEMORIAM
...Al Kaline...
(1934 - 2020)...
(© Photo: Detroit Tigers) |
 Major League-legend, Hall of Famer Al Kaline ('Mr. Tiger') passed away
Nederlands
 BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Michigan (USA) -
Major League-legend Al Kaline, who was associated with Detroit Tigers for 67 years, passed away on Monday (April 6) at age 85.
Kaline, who was an outfielder, played in 22 seasons (1953-1974) vor Detroit, where he was a beloved personality.
'Mr. Tiger' was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980.
Albert William Kaline was born on December 19, 1934 in Baltimore, Maryland.
At age eight, a segment of bone was removed in his left foot, but he developed into an outstanding baseball-player.
Initially, he was a pitcher when he was nine years old.
In High School, Al Kaline first played basketball and football, then tried out for the baseball team.
As their was no room for a pitcher, he became an outfielder.
The rest is history.
Al Kaline was a great baseball-talent and is one of only a few players who made his debut in the Major League without having played in the Minor Leagues.
Also in later years, he never played in the Minors.
When he was 18 years old and had just finished High School, he was signed by Detroit Tigers.
A week later, on June 25, 1953, Kaline made his debut in away-game at Philadelphia Athletics.(the current Oakland Athletics).
In his first season, he played with uniform number 25, but after the season, he asked for number 6, which remained his number in the remainder of his career.
Detroit Tigers retired the number in 1980.
This was the first number ever retired by the club.
In 1955, at age 20, Kaline batted .340 and was the youngest player ever to become the Best Hitter in the American League.
He broke the record which was held since 1907 by legend Ty Cobb, who played for Detroit in 1905-1926.
Also in 1955, Kaline became the 13th player in history to hit two homeruns in one inning.
In 1961, Al Kaline was the second Best Hitter in the American League, hitting .324 and trailing teammate Norm Cash (.361).
In the next season, he missed 57 games after suffering a broken collarbone while catching a ball in the outfield.
After finishing in second place for MVP in 1963, Kaline was bothered by pains in his left foot, where he had been operated on in his youth and had left his with a partially deformed foot and toes.
Kaline started to wear special shoes from 1964 on and kept on playing for ten more seasons.
Throughout his career, he was bothered by several injuries.
He broke a bone in his hand in 1967, broke his arm in 1968, but each time, he came back and made big contributions to the succes of the Detroit-teams.
In 1968, he won the World Series when Detroit defeated St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.
On September 24, 1974, Al Kaline became the 12th player in history to collect his 3,000th basehit.
After having reached the milestone, he announced that he would retire.
Kaline completed the season and added seven more basehits.
In his 22-season Major League-career, Al Kaline batted .297, scored 1,622 runs, batted in 1,582 and recorded 3,007 basehits, including 399 homeruns.
Kaline played in 2,834 games and batted over .300 nine times.
Kaline is the Detroit Tigers-recordholder in games played, homeruns and walks (1,277).
Throughout his career, Al Kaline, who mostly played in rightfield, was known for his strong throwing arm.
He won ten Gold Gloves and was selected 18 times for All Star Games, playing in 15 (each year from 1955-1967).
In 1973, Kaline won the Roberto Clemente Award for his contributions on and off the field.
Al Kaline was chosen into the Hall of Fame in 1980, his first year of eligibility.
In 1970, a street behind leftfield of Tiger Stadium in Detroit was renamed Kaline Drive.
...Al Kaline with broadcast-partner George Kell...
(screenshot) |
After he ended his playing career in 1974, Al Kaline became the TV color commentator of Detroit Tigers-games in 1975.
He was the commentator through 2002.
In most of these seasons (1975-1996), Kaline formed a commentary duo with George Kell, who played for Detroit in 1946-1952 and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1983.
From 2003 on, Kaline was a Special Assistant to Dave Dombrowski, who was the President, CEO and General Manager of Detroit through August 2015.
Kaline remained a Special Assistant until his death on Monday.
Amongst his activities, he advised the General Manager and contributed to player evaluations.
He also frequently was in uniform during Spring Training, coaching outfielders, including last month in Lakeland, Florida.
...Al Kaline's Hall of Fame...
...plaquette... |
Detroit Tigers issued the following statement:
,,One of the most distinguished and decorated players in the history of baseball, ‘Mr. Tiger’ was one of the greatest to ever wear the Olde English ‘D'.
The Hall of Famer has been a pillar of our organization for 67 years, beginning with his Major League debut in 1953 and continuing to present in his duties as Special Assistant to the General Manager.
Our thoughts are with Mr. Kaline’s wife, Louise, and family now, and forever.''
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement:
,,Many of us who are fortunate enough to work in Baseball have our short lists of the players who mean the most to us.
Al Kaline was one of those players for me and countless others, making this a very sad day for our sport.
A lifelong Tiger, Al was a true gentleman and one of the National Pastime’s most universally respected figures.
I appreciated his friendship, humility and the example that he always set for others since he debuted as an 18-year-old rookie.
On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Al’s wife, Louise, their family and friends, his admirers and the generations of Tiger fans who looked up to him.''
Christopher Ilitch, who in 2017 took over after Chairman and CEO of Detroit Tigers after his father Mike Ilitch has passed away, stated:
,,Baseball lost a titan today.
Anyone who knew Al Kaline would describe his gentle soul and passion for baseball as an unbelievably powerful combination, making him one of the most respected players in Major League Baseball history.
My mother, father and I cherished the special relationship we had with Al Kaline, who was a trusted advisor and dear friend for many years.
His dedication to Detroit was unparalleled and he was affectionately known as ‘Mr. Tiger’.
His positive contributions will forever be realized by baseball fans everywhere.
The impact of his life is far-reaching, and he will be greatly missed by millions in Detroit, the state of Michigan and across the baseball community.''
(April 7)
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