Al Kaline

Albert William Kaline went directly from a Baltimore high school to the Detroit Tigers' roster, became the youngest batting champion in American League history at 20, played 22 seasons without ever wearing another uniform, and ended his career one home run short of 400. He won 10 Gold Gloves, made 15 All-Star teams, and collected 3,007 hits while missing the equivalent of three and a half seasons to injuries, including a childhood bone disease that left his left foot permanently deformed. Billy Martin called him "Mister 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." The BBWAA elected him to the Hall of Fame in 1980 on 88.3 percent of the ballot.

Baltimore

Kaline was born on December 19, 1934, in Baltimore, Maryland. His father Nicholas made brooms for a living and played semipro baseball, as did several of Kaline's relatives. At eight years old Kaline developed osteomyelitis, a chronic bone infection. Surgeons removed two inches of bone from his left foot, leaving permanent scarring and deformity. The pinky and middle toes did not touch the ground. Milton Gross of the New York Post described the foot as "hard to believe, but for all of his career with the Tigers while he has been called the perfect player, Kaline has bordered on being a cripple." Kaline learned to run on the side of his foot and threw baseballs 175 feet in distance competitions before he reached high school.

Kaline starred in baseball all four years at Southern High School, batting .333 as a freshman and .488 as a senior. Tigers scout Ed Katalinas tracked him for years. On June 25, 1953, the day after graduation, Kaline signed for a $15,000 bonus and a three-year salary guarantee of $20,000. The bonus exceeded the $6,000 threshold that required the Tigers to keep him on the 25-man roster, bypassing the minor leagues entirely. Kaline used the money to pay his parents' mortgage and his mother's eye surgery.

Mr. Tiger

Kaline debuted at Shibe Park on June 25, 1953, as a late-inning replacement. He became the starting right fielder the following year at 19 after Steve Souchock broke his wrist. In 1955, at 20 years and 280 days old, Kaline won the American League batting title with a .340 average, 200 hits, 27 home runs, and 102 RBI. He was one day younger than Ty Cobb when Cobb won the batting crown in 1907. On April 17 he hit three home runs in a single game, becoming the youngest player to accomplish the feat. Kaline finished second in MVP voting behind Yogi Berra.

Kaline hit .314 with a career-high 128 RBI in 1956 and won his first Gold Glove the following year, beginning a run of 10 in 11 seasons. His arm in right field was strong enough that baserunners stopped challenging it. Ernie Harwell and Yogi Berra named it the best outfield arm they ever saw. Brooks Robinson said, "The fella who could do everything is Al Kaline. He was just the epitome of what a great outfielder is all about."

Injuries shadowed Kaline's career the way they shadow anyone who plays the game at full speed and refuses to protect himself. He ran into walls, dove for balls, and broke bones. In 1962 he shattered his collarbone making a diving catch on an Elston Howard fly ball at Yankee Stadium and missed 57 games while still hitting 29 home runs in 100 games. In 1967 he broke his hand slamming his bat into the rack after a strikeout. In 1970, during a collision with Jim Northrup in the outfield at Milwaukee County Stadium, Kaline's jaw locked and his tongue blocked his airway. Willie Horton sprinted from the dugout, pried open Kaline's mouth, and cleared the obstruction, likely saving his life.

The World Series

Kaline played 22 seasons and reached the World Series once. In 1968 the Tigers won the pennant, and manager Mayo Smith made one of the most celebrated lineup decisions in baseball history, moving center fielder Mickey Stanley to shortstop so Kaline could play right field. ESPN later called it one of the 10 greatest coaching decisions of the century. Kaline told Smith he didn't deserve to start. Smith disagreed.

The Tigers trailed the Cardinals three games to one. Kaline hit .379 with two home runs and eight RBI across the series. In Game 5, with the Tigers trailing 3-2 in the seventh, Kaline drove a bases-loaded single to right that scored two runs and turned the series. Detroit won in seven games, and Kaline became a World Series champion at 33 in his only October.

Detroit

Kaline turned down a raise from $95,000 to $100,000 in 1970, telling the Tigers he didn't deserve it. He became the first Tiger to sign a $100,000 contract the following year, on his own terms. Kaline collected his 3,000th hit on September 24, 1974, a double off Dave McNally in Baltimore, and retired at the end of the season. He was the 12th player in major league history to reach the milestone. "I'm glad it's over," he said. "I really am. I may miss spring training."

Kaline spent roughly 25 years as a Tigers television broadcaster, most of them alongside George Kell and then became a special assistant to the team's front office, mentoring outfielders during spring training and advising on personnel. His association with the Tigers organization lasted 67 years, among the longest tenures with a single team in major league history. The Tigers retired his number 6 in 1980, the first player so honored. Kaline died on April 6, 2020, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, at 85.