Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. [111] The 16 total bases set a new AL record, which stood until May 8, 2012, when Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers hit four home runs and a double for a total of 18 bases. The assault was only stopped when catcher Charles "Boss" Schmidt knocked Cobb out. The drive to please his father remained with Cobb long after his fathers death and contributed to his intense drive to be the best. He never again hit less than .316. The exact count is a matter of dispute. He expected his sons to be exceptional athletes in general and baseball players in particular. Cobb said he had come back only to seek vindication and say he left baseball on his own terms. [39] At age 20, he was the youngest player to win a batting championship and held this record until 1955, when fellow Detroit Tiger Al Kaline won the batting title while twelve days younger than Cobb had been. Any Tyruses today can thank Cobb for giving the name its initial exposure. [112] The next day Cobb had three more hits, two of which were home runs. Probably. In C.B.C. the most sensational player of all the players I have seen in all my life Casey Stengel, The New York Times, July 18, 1961[144] regarding Ty Cobb shortly after Cobb's death. [72] In this game, the two traded insults with each other through the first couple of innings. But Baseball-Almanac.com and other sources credit Cobb with 54 steals of home -- 21 more than his next-closest competitor, NL leader Max Carey (33). [122] The couple eventually divorced in 1947[123] after 39 years of marriage; the last few years of which Cobb's wife lived in nearby Menlo Park. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. If this was said at all, it may not even have been Cobb who said it (some versions attribute the quote to Lefty ODoul, speaking about Cobb). Ruth and Wagner were checked on 215, or 95.1%. 4. During 1917 spring training, Cobb showed up late for a Dallas spring training doubleheader against the New York Giants because of a golf outing. Cobb was known for his aggressive base running style and his ability to hit to all fields. At the same time, his wife Charlie filed the first of several divorce suits;[121] but withdrew the suit shortly thereafter. Cobb was 18 years old at the time, the youngest player in the league by almost a year. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. He accomplished the feat four times during his career, still an MLB record as of 2022. 13. We present them here for purely educational purposes. A. Cobb was hazed as a rookie while trying to process his grief and tend to family matters. One of the people who had reportedly heard Ty Cobb predict his power surge, Sid Keener, was a respected sports journalist. "[99][unreliable source?]. The book sold well, but in December 1961, True magazine published a story . Cobb, named him after Tyre, an ancient city in what is now modern-day Lebanon. At the end of the sixth inning, after being challenged by teammates Sam Crawford and Jim Delahanty to do something about it, Cobb climbed into the stands and attacked Lucker, who it turned out was handicapped (he had lost all of one hand and three fingers on his other hand in an industrial accident). Do you have a blog? (Voted by BBWAA on 222/226 ballots)
Ex-Trump Lawyer Says Congress Already Has Evidence That Should - Yahoo Wesley Fricks August 2, 2008. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:21AM. [5] Speaker denied any wrongdoing.[5]. document.write(update); Wins: 41 - Jack Chesbro (1904) 3. . Born on Dec. 18, 1886 in Narrows, Ga., Cobb grew up with a demanding father who would accept nothing but success. [16][22][23], Cobb was born in 1886 in Narrows, Georgia, a small, unincorporated rural community of farmers. Detroit would lose each World Series (to the Cubs twice and then the Pirates); however, Cobb's postseason numbers were far below his career standard. He received 21 books, one for each year in professional baseball.[114]. "[58], Tigers owner Frank Navin tapped Cobb to take over for Hughie Jennings as manager for the 1921 season, a deal he signed on his 34th birthday for $32,500 (equivalent to approximately $493,745 in today's terms[98]). When his Tigers showed up in New York to play the Yankees for the first time that season, writers billed it as a showdown between two stars of competing styles of play. While Ty Cobb did never win a title, he did win the MVP and the Triple Crown. He never got to see me play but I knew he was watching me, and I never let him down. Some are still standing. It was a deal, I signed the contract, and I hit .408. Cobb wasnt just a success on the field but in the commodities market. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Cobb sat out the final two games of the season in order to preserve his slim lead. When Cobb retired, he led AL outfielders for most errors all-time with 271, which still stands today. Cobb played 24 seasons, and when he retired he held most of the records for batting and base stealing. After one game in which the Tigers fielded a team of semipro and amateur players, Cobbs suspension was reduced to 10 days. On August 19, 1921, in the second game of a doubleheader against Elmer Myers of the Boston Red Sox, Cobb collected his 3,000th hit. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Ty Cobb baseball stats page. [67], Cobb regarded baseball as "something like a war," future Tiger second baseman Charlie Gehringer said. [93][94] Both teams were staying at the Oriental Hotel, and at dinner that evening, Herzog walked up to Cobb and challenged him to a fight. In 1907, Cobb reached first and then stole second, third and home. All told, Cobb went 479-444 (.519) and is credited with helping the development of Tigers hitters, most notably future Hall of Famer Harry Heilmann. Ty Cobb had 117 home runs over his career. [170], Cobb has the highest batting average in major league history, .366. [89] Cobb did not play that day as the Tigers won 4-0 against the St. Louis Browns. [126] Cobb helped his son deal with his pending legal problems, but then permanently broke off with him. [101] All of these men were assigned to the Gas and Flame Division, where they trained soldiers in preparation for chemical attacks by exposing them to gas chambers in a controlled environment,[101] which was eventually responsible for Mathewson's contracting tuberculosis, leading to his premature death on the eve of the 1925 World Series. [128][unreliable source? But I never tried anything foolish when a game was at stake, only when we were far ahead or far behind. The players smashed his homemade bats, nailed his cleats in the clubhouse, doused his clothes before tying knots in them, and verbally abused him. [137] At this time, Cobb became generous with his wealth, donating $100,000 in his parents' name for his hometown to build a modern 24-bed hospital, Cobb Memorial Hospital, which is now part of the Ty Cobb Healthcare System. Nobody has yet . [38][64][124], Cobb's children found him to be demanding, yet also capable of kindness and extreme warmth. And Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson, too. [27] He played his first years in organized baseball for the Royston Rompers, the semi-pro Royston Reds, and the Augusta Tourists of the South Atlantic League, who released him after only two days. All rights reserved. from the SABR BioProject. He declared Cobb the rightful owner of the title, but car company president Hugh Chalmers chose to award one to both Cobb and Lajoie. But she was acquitted at trial in March 1906. Cobb's leather-soled shoes enabled him to get better footing than Herzog, who wore tennis shoes. As a result, Cobb's career total now stands at 897. According to him, this incident led to the formation of a players' union, the "Ballplayers' Fraternity" (formally, the Fraternity of Professional Baseball Players of America), an early version of what is now called the Major League Baseball Players Association, which garnered some concessions from the owners. One wonders if someone in the public eye like Keener, would stick to this false narrative like he did in subsequent years. Cobb wrote the Dodgers owner to show appreciation "for what you did for this fine man. On September 3, Ty Cobb pinch-hit in the ninth inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Senators and doubled off Bump Hadley for his last career hit although his last at-bat wasn't until September 11 against the Yankees, popping out off Hank Johnson and grounding out to shortstop Mark Koenig. Tons of people (including plenty of sportswriters) hated Cobb at the time and spinning glowing, untrue pieces about a major pain-in-the-butt was not part of the eras zeitgeist. On May 10, 1924, Cobb was honored at ceremonies before a game in Washington, D.C., by more than 100 dignitaries and legislators. [97], Also in 1917, Cobb starred in the motion picture Somewhere in Georgia for a sum of $25,000 plus expenses (equivalent to approximately $529,000 today[98]). [59] However, aside from Schmidt's statement to the press, no other corroborating witnesses to the assault on Cummings ever came forward, and Cummings himself never made a public comment about it. In 2010, an article by William R. "Ron" Cobb (no relation) in the peer-reviewed The National Pastime (the official publication of the Society for American Baseball Research) accused Stump of extensive forgeries of Cobb-related documents and diaries. At the time of his retirement, he was attributed as the holder of more than 90 career or season records, including the all-time batting average mark of .366. [119] His other pastime was trading stocks and bonds, increasing his immense personal wealth. Coupled with the facts that Ty Cobb was impulsive, high strung and enormously egotistical, Keener and Salsinger's account rings true.
Sept. 8, 1985, the day Pete Rose really broke Ty Cobb's record [96] He had six hitting streaks of at least 20 games in his career, second only to Pete Rose's eight. Barry Bonds holds the most hitting records with ten, most notably the career home run and single-season home run records. A total of 42 players on that initial ballot would eventually get inducted into the Hall. "[74] Cobb, in his discussion of the incident in the Holmes biography,[75] avoided such explicit words but alluded to Lucker's epithet by saying he was "reflecting on my mother's color and morals." (the meaning of which is unknown) and go in for a hug. [46][47], In 1911, Cobb moved to Detroit's architecturally significant and now historically protected Woodbridge neighborhood, from which he would walk with his dogs to the ballpark prior to games. The article further accused Stump of numerous false statements about Cobb in his last years, most of which were sensationalistic in nature and intended to cast Cobb in an unflattering light. Cobb's own sense of manhood, according to Tripp, was a product of his Southern upbringing that prized individualism, excitement, and family honor. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. This did not come to pass, however. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Later it was rumored that the opposing manager had instructed his third baseman to play extra deep to allow Lajoie to win the batting race over the generally disliked Cobb. He was the games highest-paid player in his time, and he put his salary to work by becoming an early investor in Coca-Cola and United Motors (a company acquired by General Motors in 1918). One could easily see Cobb making such a boast and then having the talent (along with a little bit of luck) to pull it off. But one thing is for sure: Cobb had a burning desire to win. What Is His Lifetime Batting Average? I don't think I shall ever play ball again.