Ty Cobb was born in Georgia and was known throughout his major league baseball career as "The Georgia Peach." His major league career included 21-years with the Detroit Tigers and the final two years with the Philadelphia Athletics during which time he set more than 90-Major League Records. Cobb's own sense of manhood, according to Tripp, was a product of his Southern upbringing that prized individualism, excitement, and family honor. In the winter of 1930, Cobb moved into a Spanish ranch estate on Spencer Lane in the affluent town of Atherton located south of San Francisco, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. "Sure, I know you, Ty" replied Jackson, "but I wasn't sure you wanted to know me. 20. Although Cobb was a legendary player, he was disliked throughout the baseball community, even by his own teammates.[113]. Later in the game, he launched a ball over the pavilion in right and added another "over-the-fence" homer in the 8th. "I never saw anyone like Ty Cobb. He played in more than 3,000 games in that span, recording 4,189 hits with a staggering .366 batting average, 117 home runs, and 1,944 RBI; he also stole 897 bases. However, Cobb later expressed the deepest respect for Herzog because of the way the infielder had conducted himself in the fight. At the time in which Babe Ruth played, some of baseball's modern awards did not exist. I LOVE NEW YORK is a registered trademark and service mark of the New York State Department of Economic Development; used with permission. us, Died: We'll never know but based on the mountain of other offensive accomplishments credited to his name, it's certainly possible. Ty Cobb is regarded by some as the greatest all-around baseball player who ever lived. [26] By most accounts, he became fascinated with baseball as a child, and decided he wanted to play professional ball one day; his father was vehemently opposed to this idea, but by his teen years, he was trying out for area teams. Do you have a sports website? The reporter was aghast. "I let this go for a while because I wanted to satisfy myself that Cobb has as much guts as I thought in the very beginning," Jennings recalled. Not for the love of it, the excitement of it, the thrill of it." Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Wesley Fricks August 2, 2008. [34] In August 1905, the management of the Tourists sold Cobb to the American League's Detroit Tigers for $750 (equivalent to $22,619 in 2021). Born: [126] Even though Tyrus Raymond, Jr. finally reformed and eventually earned an M.D. SABR (the Society for American Baseball Research) (seconded by John Thorn and Pete Palmer, among others), the Baseball Almanac, and ESPN credit Cobb with 4,189 hits in 11,434 at-bats. That doesnt necessarily mean he wasnt a racist, but the truth about Cobb has long been difficult to pin down. [176] All of these round to .366. With that in mind -- and because he was born on this date in 1886 -- here are 15 things every baseball fan should know about The Georgia Peach.. Two months later, his autobiography, "My Life in Baseball," was released by Doubleday. Batting Average: .426 - Nap Lajoie (1901) 2. He also once stole home when Yankees players had crowded around home plate protesting a call. A lot of them don't."[133]. Ty Cobb played for 2 teams; the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics. Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886[1] July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. [48], Three weeks after his mother killed his father, Cobb debuted in center field for the Detroit Tigers. Bryan, Wright, "Clemson: An Informal History of the University 18891979," The R. L. Bryan Company, Columbia, South Carolina, 1979, Library of Congress card number 79-56231, Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina, Major League Baseball Players Association, SABR (the Society for American Baseball Research), United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, List of Major League Baseball stolen base records, List of Major League Baseball hit records, List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders, List of Major League Baseball player-managers, List of Major League Baseball individual streaks, List of Major League Baseball record holders, "Thorstein Veblen, Ty Cobb, and the evolution of an institution", "Ty Cobb, the greatest Tiger of them all", "Career Leaders for At Bats (Progressive)", "Ty Cobb's label as racist is undeserved, baseball historian says", "How Ty Cobb the truth got lost inside Ty Cobb the myth", "The Softer Side of Ty Cobb | The Saturday Evening Post", "Ty Cobb's Philanthropy Has Lessons for Us All", "Who was Ty Cobb?The history we know that's wrong", "Cobb still revered, reviled 100 years after first game", "1905 American League Awards, All-Stars, & More Leaders", "August 30, 1905: Ty Cobb Plays His First Game As Detroit Tiger | MSU Libraries", "Batting Leaders Before, During and After Age 19", "Facts and Figures Baseball batting champions", "Ty Cobb Sold Me a Soda Pop: Hall of Fame Outfielder Ty Cobb and Coca-Cola", "First Five: The Original Members of the Hall of Fame", National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, "Press Democrat 13 August 1912 California Digital Newspaper Collection", "Detroit Tigers vs New York Highlanders Box Score: August 13, 1912", "Los Angeles Herald 19 April 1913 California Digital Newspaper Collection", "St. Louis Browns vs Detroit Tigers Box Score: April 19, 1913", "Remembering baseball hall of famers who served in the Chemical Corps", "Detroit Tigers vs New York Yankees Box Score: May 24, 1920", "Detroit Tigers vs New York Yankees Box Score: May 25, 1920", "Detroit Tigers vs New York Yankees Box Score: May 26, 1920", "Fat phenoms: are hot dogs and beer part of your training regimen? Writing in The Journal of American Culture, Hunter M. Hampton says that Leerhsen "succeeds in debunking the myth of Cobb that Stump created, but he spawned a new myth by conflating Stump's shortcomings to depict Cobb as an egalitarian. All sources with standing agree that Cobb's lifetime batting average is .366 (except MLB.com, see below); some show slightly different numbers for at-bats and hits, but all devolve to .366. ", "Author says Cobb's reputation built on tales", "Ty Cobb's best performances from retrosheet.org", "C.B.C. "[68] Baseball historian John Thorn said in the book Legends of the Fall, "He is testament to how far you can get simply through will. 4,192 was a single, giving the Cincinnati Reds'. [66], Going into the final days of the 1910 season, Cobb had a .004 lead on Nap Lajoie for the American League batting title. Cobbs best offensive season was 1911 when he led the AL in every major offensive category except home runs including hits, runs, RBI, batting average and slugging percentage. Discover one-of-a-kind artifacts and get lost in sweeping exhibitions that explore pivotal moments in the game and its impact far beyond the field. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. He hit .320 or better for 22 consecutive seasons including over .400 three times. The fight finally ended when the watchman produced a gun and struck Cobb several times in the head, knocking him out. 4,192, breaking Ty. Cobb's association with the Tigers came to a crashing end at the end of the 1926 season. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife Sandy. In 1883, Francis Richter founded The Sporting Life, a weekly magazine devoted to coverage of all sports, with an emphasis on baseball. July 17, 1961 He later served as the Director of Baseballs Hall-of-Fame from 1952 to 1963 and might be considered a reliable source. 4. [159] Recent research on his life has clarified a number of stories about Cobb. Cobbs father, W.H. The retirement of two great players at the same time sparked some interest, and it turned out that the two were coerced into retirement because of allegations of game-fixing brought about by Dutch Leonard, a former pitcher managed by Cobb. Babe Ruth (left) holds the record for highest slugging percentage, and on-base plus slugging while Ty Cobb (right) holds the records for highest batting average and most steals of home. In 1909, he led the league in home runs for the only time in his career and won the Triple Crown. He was instrumental in helping Joe DiMaggio negotiate his rookie contract with the New York Yankees. Yeah, the game was a little different back then. Thats about $112 million in todays dollars. Everyone knew that these four numbers represented Babe Ruth's lifetime home run total, Ty Cobb's lifetime stolen base total, Walter Johnson's career total of batters he fanned, and Lou Gehrig's. Cobbs disdain for the post-1920 proliferation of the long ball was well-documented. At the end of 1925, Cobb was again embroiled in a batting title race, this time with one of his teammates and players, Harry Heilmann. [33] While with the Tourists he was mentored and coached by George Leidy, who emphasized pinpoint bunting and aggression on the basepaths. I'll show you something new. 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. Second place didn't interest me. Maybe they should be", "Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb: a North Georgia Notable", "Fielding Errors: Errors Committed as an OF", "FILM REVIEW; A Hero Who Was a Heel, Or, What Price Glory? The Detroit star didnt think it took a lot of talent to hit home runs and was convinced that his way of playing the game was vastly superior. He hit .400 three times. He set 90 different records during his 23-season career, with some still standing to this day. According to sportswriter Grantland Rice, he and Cobb were returning from the Masters golf tournament in the late 1940s and stopped at a Greenville, South Carolina, liquor store. Crawford recalled that, if he went three for four on a day when Cobb went hitless, Cobb would turn red and sometimes walk out of the park with the game still on. Despite the physical closeness, the two had a complicated relationship. The historic No. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. The Victorian duplex in which Cobb lived still stands. Cobb said he had come back only to seek vindication and say he left baseball on his own terms. Most notably, his .366 career average is eight points better than second-place Rogers Hornsby +5 View gallery The Hillerich & Bradsby C28. Cobb retained editorial control over the book and the published version presented him in a positive light. 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. Brock had pulled within one theft of the mark four days earlier in St. Louis, when he stole two bases against the Giants . When Cobb retired, he led AL outfielders for most errors all-time with 271, which still stands today. [80] The current post-1900 record for most hits in a nine-inning game is 31, set in 1992 by the Milwaukee Brewers against Toronto; however, the Blue Jays used six pitchers. [95], In 1917, Cobb hit in 35 consecutive games, still the only player with two 35-game hitting streaks (including his 40-game streak in 1911). [63] In the offseason, the couple lived on her father's Augusta estate, The Oaks, until they moved into their own house on Williams Street in November 1913. Some are still standing. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1936. He was the first of three children born to William Herschel Cobb (18631905) and Amanda Chitwood Cobb (18711936). [119] He toured Europe with his family, went to Scotland for some time and then returned to his farm in Georgia. However, just because they were on good terms doesn't necessarily mean he helped fabricate such an incredible story. You can understand what it meant for a 20-year-old country boy to hit a home run off the great Rube, in a pennant-winning game with two outs in the ninth. [117][118] Cobb ranks 14th on the all-time list for errors committed by an outfielder. "[58] In the same interview, Cobb talked about having noticed a throwing tendency of first baseman Hal Chase but having to wait two full years until the opportunity came to exploit it. Among those still standing are his career batting average (.366), combined total runs and runs batted in (4,065), and batting titles (11). [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. "[151] Tripp writes that Cobb was both loved and hated as a representative of a particular kind of masculinity on the field, inviting male spectators to participate in the contest through taunts directed at opposing players. View More Videos. SUMMARY Career WAR 151.5 AB 11440 H 4189 HR 117 BA .366 R 2245 RBI 1944 SB 897 OBP .433 SLG A. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. All these years after his death, as his personal legacy continues to be batted back and forth, Cobb remains an utterly fascinating figure. Reserve your tickets, map your route, and work out all the details for your arrival in Cooperstown. 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. MLB.com lists Cobb's lifetime average as .367 (4,191 hits in 11,429 at-bats),[177] the number that had been reported and believed true from Cobb's retirement until the late 20th century. So, as the legend goes, he took time in St. Louis to show that, if he had wanted to, he could hit a lot of homers, too. "[141], He was taken to Emory University Hospital for the last time in June 1961 after falling into a diabetic coma. And Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson, too. What Is His Lifetime Batting Average? "(Ty) Cobb lived off the field as though he wished to live forever. His marks for hits, runs, runs batted in, and stolen He was loved by some fans, and hated by the majority of fans, who were overwhelmed by the chronicles of journalists from the first half of the 20th century and by Cobb's own words, which was defined as a kick in the lower abdomen. I often tried plays that looked recklessly daring, maybe even silly. Rookie Status: Childhood & Early Life. Other baseball players serving in this unit included Captain Christy Mathewson and Lieutenant George Sisler. Primarily an outfielder, Rowe pitched a complete game on July 24, 1882, giving up 35 runs on 29 hits. [5] He then announced his retirement, effective the end of the season,[5] after batting .300 or higher in 23 consecutive seasons (the only season under .300 being his rookie season), a major league record that is unlikely to be broken. But anyway, as the story goes, in the year before his death, Cobb was asked by a reporter how he would fare in the modern game. Salsinger, like Keener, had his reputation as a journalist to think about. [No one has] the combined power and eye of Ruth. Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. Cobb and Browns player-manager George Sisler each pitched in the final game, Cobb pitching a perfect inning. [24] Cobb's father was a state senator. Cobb again won the batting title with a .324 average, but Detroit suffered another loss in the World Series. [42] Mrs. Cobb was charged with murder and then released on a $7,000 recognizance bond. The Chalmers Award (AL) Year Team League; 1911: Detroit Tigers: AL: Hall Of Fame. Thirty years ago on Tuesday, Pete Rose became the all-time hit king. Hank Aaron's Greatness, by the Numbers - The Ringer Or absurd, depending on your point of view. . [86][87], In 1913, Cobb signed a contract worth $12,000 for the six-month season (equivalent to $329,010 in 2021), making him likely the first baseball player in history to be paid a five-figure salary. Despite not being known as a slugger, he led the AL in slugging percentage eight times in his 11 seasons from 1907 to 1917.[39]. [5] Speaker signed with the Washington Senators for 1927, and Cobb with the Philadelphia Athletics. Cobb announced to his wife, Amanda, that he was headed to the family farm and would not be back that night. In C.B.C. "[76] According to Russo, the crowd cheered Cobb on in the fight. In 1999, editors at the Sporting News ranked Ty Cobb 3rd on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players". The Tigers lost 2-3. [35][36][37][38][39], On August 8, 1905, Cobb's mother fatally shot his father with a pistol that his father had purchased for her. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. Upon his retirement he held career records for games played (3,035), at bats (11,434), runs (2,246), hits (4,189), total bases (5,854), and batting average (.366). In a doubleheader against the St. Louis Browns on October 4, 1925, Heilmann got six hits to lead the Tigers to a sweep of the doubleheader and beat Cobb for the batting crown, .393 to .389.