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NFT: RIP Al Kaline

KDavies : 4/6/2020 4:21 pm
85. Cause of death not disclosed. One of the all-time greats.
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18x all star 10 gold gloves  
Defenderdawg : 4/6/2020 4:35 pm : link
At the age of 20 in 1955 had 121 runs, 200 hits, 27 HR, 102 RBI and hit .340, youngest batting champion ever...

Hit over .300 9x

His first and only WS was in 1968 when the Tigers defeated the Cards, he hit .379 with 2 HR’s 8 RBI

Never played in the minors, spent his whole career in Detroit
1953-1974
Truly one of the  
section125 : 4/6/2020 4:40 pm : link
greats.

RIP Al.
Lots of people today want to call some player great after a season  
PatersonPlank : 4/6/2020 4:42 pm : link
or two, but Al Kaline was really a MLB great
What  
AcidTest : 4/6/2020 4:46 pm : link
an awesome player. RIP. God bless. Prayers to his family and friends.
I remember his card from the mid 60s ...  
Spider56 : 4/6/2020 4:46 pm : link
It was a reall winner for me in ‘flipping to match’ ... RIP.
A Baltimore native.  
Pete in MD : 4/6/2020 4:53 pm : link
RIP Al.
RE: Lots of people today want to call some player great after a season  
Del Shofner : 4/6/2020 5:10 pm : link
In comment 14860954 PatersonPlank said:
Quote:
or two, but Al Kaline was really a MLB great


He sure was. Could do it all -- all 5 tools -- and did it for only one team for many, many years.

Kind of like Stan Musial. Two players underrated in the grand scheme of baseball history. Both played on teams without a lot of postseason exposure during their days, which may be why they're not better known today.
1955 All Star Game roster  
Defenderdawg : 4/6/2020 5:17 pm : link
Starting Lineups
AL All-Stars
1 Harvey Kuenn SS
2 Nellie Fox 2B
3 Ted Williams LF
4 Mickey Mantle CF
5 Yogi Berra C
6 Al Kaline RF
7 Mickey Vernon 1B
8 Jim Finigan 3B
9 Billy Pierce P
Manager
Reserves
Vic Power 1B
Bobby Avila 2B
Al Rosen 3B
Sherm Lollar C
Larry Doby CF
Jackie Jensen OF
Al Smith OF
Chico Carrasquel SS
Dick Donovan P
Whitey Ford P
Billy Hoeft P
Herb Score P
Frank Sullivan P
Bob Turley P
Jim Wilson P
Early Wynn P
NL All-Stars
1 Red Schoendienst 2B
2 Del Ennis LF
3 Duke Snider CF
4 Ted Kluszewski 1B
5 Eddie Mathews 3B
6 Don Mueller RF
7 Ernie Banks SS
8 Del Crandall C
9 Robin Roberts P
Manager
Reserves
Gil Hodges 1B
Stan Musial 1B
Gene Baker 2B
Randy Jackson 3B
Smoky Burgess C
Roy Campanella C
Stan Lopata C
Willie Mays CF
Hank Aaron OF
Frank Thomas OF
Johnny Logan SS
Luis Arroyo P
Gene Conley P
Harvey Haddix P
Sam Jones P
Don Newcombe P
Joe Nuxhall P
There were a few non-Yankee  
dune69 : 4/6/2020 5:48 pm : link
players that I really enjoyed watching; Kaline, Mays, Clemente, Gibson, Carew, and Oliva. RIP to a great player.
RE: 1955 All Star Game roster  
Jim in Tampa : 4/6/2020 7:22 pm : link
In comment 14861009 Defenderdawg said:
Quote:
Starting Lineups
AL All-Stars
1 Harvey Kuenn SS
2 Nellie Fox 2B
3 Ted Williams LF
4 Mickey Mantle CF
5 Yogi Berra C
6 Al Kaline RF
7 Mickey Vernon 1B
8 Jim Finigan 3B
9 Billy Pierce P
Manager
Reserves
Vic Power 1B
Bobby Avila 2B
Al Rosen 3B
Sherm Lollar C
Larry Doby CF
Jackie Jensen OF
Al Smith OF
Chico Carrasquel SS
Dick Donovan P
Whitey Ford P
Billy Hoeft P
Herb Score P
Frank Sullivan P
Bob Turley P
Jim Wilson P
Early Wynn P
NL All-Stars
1 Red Schoendienst 2B
2 Del Ennis LF
3 Duke Snider CF
4 Ted Kluszewski 1B
5 Eddie Mathews 3B
6 Don Mueller RF
7 Ernie Banks SS
8 Del Crandall C
9 Robin Roberts P
Manager
Reserves
Gil Hodges 1B
Stan Musial 1B
Gene Baker 2B
Randy Jackson 3B
Smoky Burgess C
Roy Campanella C
Stan Lopata C
Willie Mays CF
Hank Aaron OF
Frank Thomas OF
Johnny Logan SS
Luis Arroyo P
Gene Conley P
Harvey Haddix P
Sam Jones P
Don Newcombe P
Joe Nuxhall P

I know that players start in the All Star game based on the first half of the season, but an NL lineup with Del Enis and Don Mueler in the OF instead of Aaron and Mays is almost a crime against humanity.

RIP Al! I remember watching you as a young fan. Classy guy.
Friend of the family worked in the Rangers clubhouse for years  
SFGFNCGiantsFan : 4/6/2020 7:33 pm : link
& has met practically everyone in baseball. He sent an email earlier today that he met Kaline a bunch of times & was one of the nicer guys he ever came across. Condolences to his Kaline's family.
Uncanny. I had a fitful night's sleep last night  
Lurts : 4/6/2020 8:09 pm : link
And as I was laying in bed I thought about the first Yankee game my dad brought me to. 1964, perhaps.

We sat in right field and someone lined to Kaline, right in front of us. He raced in and caught it on the fly at his shoe top, proceeded into a somersault and popped up. Wasn't showboating, and obviously a memorable catch.

Hadn't thought about it (or Al) in decades. Great, great arm, too. RIP
I believe when he did that somersault after the catch  
Giants61 : 4/6/2020 8:18 pm : link
Kaline broke his collar bone. I was a big Tiger fan in those days
Yikes  
Lurts : 4/6/2020 8:33 pm : link
Thanks for that. I was unaware. I may have the scorecard someplace. I will try tofind it and the date.
dune  
Bill2 : 4/6/2020 8:52 pm : link
I agree with that list name for name.

Maybe Marichial and Koufax?
Yaz was pretty close  
Lurts : 4/6/2020 8:57 pm : link
to that transcendant level

Though that uni....
I remember those RFs  
Jay in Toronto : 4/6/2020 11:02 pm : link
With cannon arms. Gunning down those guys at 3rd or home - one of the most wonderful plays in Basebal: Kaline, Clemente, Colavito and Maris, to name some of the best.
I got to see Rocky pitch for the Yanks.  
Lurts : 4/6/2020 11:30 pm : link
Blowout situation, with NYY on the short end. Doubleheader IIRC.
RE: RE: 1955 All Star Game roster  
Ivan15 : 4/6/2020 11:41 pm : link
In comment 14861072 Jim in Tampa said:
Quote:
In comment 14861009 Defenderdawg said:


I know that players start in the All Star game based on the first half of the season, but an NL lineup with Del Enis and Don Mueler in the OF instead of Aaron and Mays is almost a crime against humanity.

RIP Al! I remember watching you as a young fan. Classy guy.


My recollection, without checking Google, in those days, the starters were picked by fan ballot (remember Reingold Beer) and there was very little opportunity for fans to see anyone but their local team (assuming they had TV) so there was a lot of ballot box stuffing by the small market teams like Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Detroit. Remember that Cincinnati voted in all 8 starters in 1959 or 1960, before the Commish intervened.
RE: I got to see Rocky pitch for the Yanks.  
Jay in Toronto : 4/7/2020 5:33 am : link
In comment 14861215 Lurts said:
Quote:
Blowout situation, with NYY on the short end. Doubleheader IIRC.


I think he played every position :)
I saw only his last few years. Obviously slowed down, but just so  
Victor in CT : 4/7/2020 9:19 am : link
smooth. My dad really liked him as a player going back to the '50s and '60s
Certain players I've always admired  
LehighValleyFan : 4/7/2020 9:22 am : link
Tho a life long Yankee fan, there have always been players I've admired. Certainly Kaline was one of them. Loved Yaz (in spite of the uniform), all those right fielders with cannons for an arm. RIP Mr Kaline.
RIP  
Carson53 : 4/7/2020 10:16 am : link
Right out of high school to the majors, can you imagine that in today's game.
Al Kaline won a batting title at age 20, and what an arm.
That guy was a rock for that organization!
RE: Yaz was pretty close  
Carson53 : 4/7/2020 10:21 am : link
In comment 14861123 Lurts said:
Quote:
to that transcendant level

Though that uni....
.

No, he really wasn't transcendant, Yaz was more based
on very hard work. He wasn't a natural.
I recall seeing him about a half dozen times at a hospital I worked at in the 70's. I never bothered him though,
he was bringing his mother in for some type of treatments.
Carson, didn't mean natural  
Lurts : 4/7/2020 11:44 am : link
I was responding to Dune above about non-Yankees of excellence worth watching. Transcending the uniform.

Agreed that Yaz didnt have the grace to make it all look easy.I'd say he was a better Mattingly, which I mean as very high praise.
Met Kaline in Detroit airport waiting at same gate  
LBH15 : 4/7/2020 1:39 pm : link
for incoming flight about 15 years ago or so. Me and another guy standing in same area had some small talk with him. Airport was busy enough with people whereas I don't think many recognized him.

Not a big deal but as a huge baseball fan it was memorable to me.

RIP.
RIP.  
yatqb : 4/7/2020 3:09 pm : link
What great right fielders in that generation: Kaline, Aaron, Clemente, Maris...who am I forgetting?
RE: RIP.  
Victor in CT : 4/7/2020 4:02 pm : link
In comment 14861815 yatqb said:
Quote:
What great right fielders in that generation: Kaline, Aaron, Clemente, Maris...who am I forgetting?


Frank Robinson
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