Goose Goslin

Goose Goslin drove in 1,609 runs over 18 seasons, won a batting title, played in five World Series for two franchises, and delivered the hit that clinched the 1935 championship for the Detroit Tigers. He was a left-handed hitter with a powerful swing and an aggressive approach at the plate, and he played the game with an enthusiasm that made him a favorite of fans in Washington and Detroit during the 1920s and 1930s. The Veterans Committee elected him to the Hall of Fame in 1968.

New Jersey

Leon Allen Goslin was born on October 16, 1900, in Salem, New Jersey. The nickname "Goose" came early, reportedly from the way he flapped his arms while chasing fly balls in the outfield. He reached the major leagues with the Washington Senators in 1921 and became a regular by 1922, batting .324 in his first full season and announcing himself as one of the best young hitters in the American League.

Washington

Goslin played for the Senators from 1921 through 1930, and his best years in Washington produced some of the highest offensive numbers in the franchise's history. He won the American League batting title in 1928 with a .379 average, edging Heinie Manush by a single point in a race that was not decided until the final day of the season. He drove in 100 or more runs in eleven career seasons and hit .300 or better in seven of his nine full years in Washington.

The Senators won the World Series in 1924, their only championship, and Goslin was at the center of the lineup. He batted .344 in the 1924 World Series against the New York Giants with three home runs and seven RBI. The Senators returned to the World Series in 1925 and lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games, with Goslin again hitting well in a losing effort.

Washington traded Goslin to the St. Louis Browns in June 1930, sending him to St. Louis for Heinie Manush in a swap of future Hall of Famers. The trade was unpopular with Senators fans who had watched Goslin anchor the lineup for nearly a decade. He spent two and a half seasons in St. Louis before the Senators reacquired him in December 1932.

Detroit

Goslin's most famous moment came after the Senators traded him to the Detroit Tigers in December 1933. He joined a Tigers lineup that included Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, and Mickey Cochrane, and the team won back-to-back American League pennants in 1934 and 1935. The Tigers lost the 1934 World Series to the Cardinals' Gashouse Gang in seven games, but they won the 1935 Series against the Chicago Cubs in six.

Goslin delivered the championship-winning hit in Game 6 of the 1935 World Series, singling home Mickey Cochrane in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Detroit a 4-3 victory and the franchise's first title. The hit remains one of the defining moments in Tigers history, a walk-off single that ended a championship drought and validated a team that had come up short the year before.

Final Years

Goslin returned to the Senators for a final stint in 1938 and retired at the end of the season. His career totals included a .316 batting average, 2,735 hits, 1,612 RBI, 500 doubles, and 173 triples. He hit 248 home runs and played in five World Series across his career with Washington and Detroit.

He died on May 15, 1971, in Bridgeton, New Jersey, at 70. The Veterans Committee elected him to the Hall of Fame in 1968, recognizing a career built on consistent production, clutch hitting, and a peak decade during the 1920s that placed him among the best left fielders in the American League.