Al Kaline is a retired Hall of Fame outfielder who played his entire 22-season career for the Detroit Tigers.
Mr. Tiger for All Time
Kaline played for the Tigers for 21 years, winning 18 All Star selections, 10 Gold Gloves and a World Series. In 1955, Kaline won the American League batting title, hitting .340 for the season. He beat out Tiger Ty Cobb as the youngest player to do so at 20; Cobb was born one day earlier (December 18 to Kaline’s December 19), and was therefore a day older when he won. During that ’55 season, Kaline became the fourth player in Major League Baseball history to hit two home runs in a single inning. He ended that season with 200 hits, finishing second to Yogi Berra in MLB MVP voting.
Kaline became the twelfth player to reach the 3,000 hit plateau with a double against the Baltimore Orioles. In his only World Series appearance, Kaline hit .379 with two home runs and eight RBIs in seven games.
Fast Facts:
- Born: December 19, 1934
- Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
- Made MLB debut with the Detroit Tigers
- Nickname: Mr. Tiger
- 12 time all-star
- Threw out the first pitch of the 2006 World Series
- Youngest player ever to win a major-league batting title, at 20 years
- The fourth player to hit two home runs in one inning; the first was Joe DiMaggio
Early Life and Career
Kaline made his debut with the Tigers in 1953, never having played in the minor leagues. In his first full season in 1954, Kaline finished third in Rookie of the Year balloting, but really began tearing up the league the following year, when he won the batting title with a .340 average, hitting 27 home runs and driving in 102 in the process. Beginning in 1955, Kaline was named to thirteen consecutive All-Star teams. In 1968, Kaline helped lead the Tigers to their first World Series title since 1945, hitting .379 in the Fall Classic. Kaline finished his career with 399 home runs and 3,007 hits, and was named to the Hall of Fame in 1980, his first year of eligibility.
Broadcasting Career
After retiring, Kaline called Tigers games on television as a color commentator alongside play-by-play man George Kell. He retired after the 2002 season, but remains a part of the organization as special assistant to Dave Dombrowski along with Willie Horton. Kaline and Horton threw out the ceremonial first pitch in the 2006 World Series at Comerica Park.
