He had a good long, life though.
Requiesce in pace, Al!
Another boy of summer gone. Sigh. Kaline was not a superstar by today’s standards but he was a solid consistent player in all phases of the game. One of the last roll models.
RIP
With a name like Al Kaline, he had to be good on the bases!
“RIP...my favorite Tiger.”
And my favorite Cleveland Indian.
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I had a AK glove in my yute.
Sorry to learn of this. Al Kaline was a helluva ballplayer ... watched him many times at the old Tiger Stadium in his last few years on the team.
Met him a couple of times at spring training and played golf with him a few times. Great guy and a gentleman! Next to Mickey Mantle, my favorite player. RIP
Game Called - Grantland Rice
Game Called. Across the field of play
the dusk has come, the hour is late.
The fight is done and lost or won,
the player files out through the gate.
The tumult dies, the cheer is hushed,
the stands are bare, the park is still.
But through the night there shines the light,
home beyond the silent hill.
Game Called. Where in the golden light
the bugle rolled the reveille.
The shadows creep where night falls deep,
and taps has called the end of play.
The game is done, the score is in,
the final cheer and jeer have passed.
But in the night, beyond the fight,
the player finds his rest at last.
Game Called. Upon the field of life
the darkness gathers far and wide,
the dream is done, the score is spun
that stands forever in the guide.
Nor victory, nor yet defeat
is chalked against the players name.
But down the roll, the final scroll,
shows only how he played the game.
My favorite too. He had a reputation for coming through in clutch situations.
Never played a day in the minors.
RIP.
Hit .379 with 8 RBIs in the 1968 World Series, which was also the last one for Hall of Famer Eddie Matthews.
Detroit took a big gamble and turned another outfielder, Mickey Stanley, into a shortstop with a couple of weeks left in the season. Stanley didn't have a great world series, but did hit .214 and score a couple of runs. He appeared in only 9 games as shortstop dyring the regular season, but stated all 7 games of the world series at that position.
The regular shortstop, Ray Oyler, appeared as a defensive replacement in the four games the Tigers won and got a sacrifice hit in his only plate appearance.
Not Kaline and Pussy Galore in the same day!!
I have an autographed photo of him. I followed his career religiously
.
The Year of the Tiger - 1968
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S6c2va0ulc
I had this record as a kid, wish I’d kept it.
A Baltimore kid who made it to the bigs and ultimately all the way to the Hall of Fame. RIP Al Kaline.
Nevertheless, I live and grew up in Minnesota. My favorite Detroit Tiger memory was an event that I can't find anywhere recorded.
My favorite MLB player in my life and I'm pushing 70, is/was Harmon Killebrew. He was the first right-handed hitter to ever hit a ball out of Tiger Stadium over the roof in left field. It was only done about three times, and Killebrew did it X 2. (Frank Howard did it once.)
Our local TV station used to handle 50 live games per year when the Twins were on the road. One of those was in Detroit. Killebrew hit one of those out of the stadium in a night game. When Killebrew connected, the Tiger cameraman focused in 1 tenth of 1 second on Rocky Colavito who was playing left field. Colavito barely moved. He just turned to face the fence and pointed up.
My Dad was a Kaline fan, too. It was likely my Dad who instilled in me a love for MLB.
He could neutralize an entire pitcher!