[81], The strike ended when Cobb urged his teammates to return to the field. Cobb is said to have stolen second, third and home on consecutive pitches. 11. Cobb's own sense of manhood, according to Tripp, was a product of his Southern upbringing that prized individualism, excitement, and family honor. Cobb told Stump he would always remember Crawford's kindness. On May 12, 1911, playing against the New York Highlanders, he scored from first base on a single to right field, then scored another run from second base on a wild pitch. As described in Smithsonian, "In 1907 during spring training in Augusta, Georgia, a black groundskeeper named Bungy Cummings, whom Cobb had known for years, attempted to shake Cobb's hand or pat him on the shoulder. Cobb's career totals from Baseball Reference are as follows. "[162] In the obituaries that ran in the black press following Cobb's death, he was praised for "[speaking] in favor of racial freedom in baseball. On May 10, 1924, Cobb was honored at ceremonies before a game in Washington, D.C., by more than 100 dignitaries and legislators. Cobb was hazed as a rookie while trying to process his grief and tend to family matters. Leonard claimed proof existed in letters written to him by Cobb and Wood. Cobb noticed that the man behind the counter was "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, who had been banned from baseball almost 30 years earlier following the Black Sox scandal. [165], The studentteacher relationship gradually changed to one of jealous rivals. December 18, 1886 He grew up in a family of abolitionists, threw out a ceremonial first pitches at a Negro League game and spoke out in favor of integration. [24] Cobb's father was a state senator. Ty Cobb: The Legend Of Baseball Villain (I) - ActionPush At the time of his retirement, he was attributed as the holder of more than 90 career or season records, including the all-time batting average mark of .366. ROY BROWNELL II is an attorney. Cobb was 18 years old at the time, the youngest player in the league by almost a year. Cobb wrote the Dodgers owner to show appreciation "for what you did for this fine man. The couple had three sons and two daughters: Tyrus Raymond Jr, Shirley Marion, Herschel Roswell, James Howell, and Beverly. He declared Cobb the rightful owner of the title, but car company president Hugh Chalmers chose to award one to both Cobb and Lajoie. ", "Author says Cobb's reputation built on tales", "Ty Cobb's best performances from retrosheet.org", "C.B.C. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. [40] Court records indicate that Mr. Cobb had suspected his wife of infidelity[41] and was sneaking past his own bedroom window to catch her in the act. He could have gone 0-for-his-last-2,541 and still had a .300 career average. Other baseball players serving in this unit included Captain Christy Mathewson and Lieutenant George Sisler. [126][unreliable source?] When Cobb had gotten out of the car to confront the men, they had asked for money and instigated a physical fight, with Cobb defending himself from one of the men by punching him in the chin as another had fled the scene. [126] Cobb helped his son deal with his pending legal problems, but then permanently broke off with him. In Cobb's time, major league records were kept very well, but not with the absolute accuracy seen later and since. Explore the archives and go deep into the lives, careers, and stories of the Hall of Fame's honorees. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. He never got to see me play but I knew he was watching me, and I never let him down. "(Ty) Cobb lived off the field as though he wished to live forever. Ty Cobb was not a power hitter per se, any more than George Brett or Stan Musial were principally power hitters. Born on Dec. 18, 1886 in Narrows, Ga., Cobb grew up with a demanding father who would accept nothing but success. In 1998, Sporting News ranked him as third on the list of 100 Greatest Baseball Players.[131]. Based on quotes from teammates and opponents, Ty Cobb was the most competitive and aggressive player in baseball, often screaming at teammates and talking trash to opposing teams, but it cannot be denied that he was well respected as a ballplayer. In particular, he hated slugger Babe Ruth and how the Bambino had transformed the game. Cobb sat out the final two games of the season in order to preserve his slim lead. U.S. #3408d - Ty Cobb First Day Cover with Pictorial Cancel. Cobb at one point went to the Highlander dugout to look for the Highlanders' owner to try to have Lucker ejected from the game, but his search was in vain. On Oct. 4, 1925, he pitched the final inning of the Tigers 11-6 victory over the St. Louis Browns in the nightcap of a doubleheader and retired all three batters he faced. Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. He was divorced on the grounds of cruel treatment, he was reviled by other players and even teammates, and he was an alcoholic. [5] Landis allowed both Cobb and Speaker to return to their original teams, but each team let them know that they were free agents and could sign with any club they wanted. Induction ceremony in Cooperstown held in 1939. And in 1914, Richter wrote the History and Records of Baseball: the American Nation's Chief Sport (Philadelphia: Sporting Life Publishing Co., 1914). [16][22][23], Cobb was born in 1886 in Narrows, Georgia, a small, unincorporated rural community of farmers. Ty Cobb had 117 home runs over his career. He (possibly) gave one of the greatest baseball quotes ever. He hit .300 in 23 consecutive seasons. On Aug. 8, 1905, W.H. "[32] After about three months, Cobb returned to the Tourists and finished the season hitting .237 in 35 games. Cobbs disdain for the post-1920 proliferation of the long ball was well-documented. View More Videos. He was also a celebrity spokesman for the product. In all Cobb collected a total of 16 bases, establishing a new major league record for most bases in a single game. Because the Tigers lead was so large, thats not a save by current standards, but Cobb is credited with the save because the Baseball Encylopedia (and, by extension, Retrosheet and Baseball-Reference) use the 1969 criteria, which required only that the reliever enter a game with a lead and record the final out without having relinquished that lead. [99] Based on a story by sports columnist Grantland Rice, the film casts Cobb as "himself," a small-town Georgia bank clerk with a talent for baseball. Did you know that Ty, his nickname, still has the highest career batting average in baseball history, the most batting titles in baseball history (including the most consecutive batting titles), the most hits in a career in the American League, and if you search his name, The Georgia Peach appears on more than 3,000 other pages? [156] This accusation was common for many decades before the movie was released. A lot of them don't."[133]. Of major league stars of the 1940s and 1950s, Cobb had positive things to say about Stan Musial, Phil Rizzuto, and Jackie Robinson, but few others. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. As of April 2021, the Ty Cobb Educational Foundation has distributed $19.2 million in college scholarships to needy Georgians.[149]. Salsinger, like Keener, had his reputation as a journalist to think about. He also once stole home when Yankees players had crowded around home plate protesting a call. Only hitting .300? This page details statistics, records, and other achievements pertaining to Babe Ruth. Not only does Cobbs career batting average record still stand, but the last time anybody hit .366 or higher in a single season was Ichiro Suzuki way back in 2004. Suzuki broke George Sisler's 1920 record of 257 hits and Sisler broke Ty Cobb's 1911 record of 248 hits. On that day, several reporters did see Cummings, who appeared to be "partially under the influence of liquor," approach Cobb and shout "Hello, Carrie!" He won nine consecutive AL batting titles from 1907 to 1915 and three more in his career. Although Cobb was credited with a higher batting average, it was later discovered in the 1970s that one game had been counted twice so that Cobb actually lost to Lajoie. The fight finally ended when the watchman produced a gun and struck Cobb several times in the head, knocking him out. [112] The next day Cobb had three more hits, two of which were home runs. He was named AL MVP. Cobb sat out the final two games to preserve his average. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. Triples. From very early on, his father had a great influence on his life and encouraged him to join organized baseball teams like the Royston Rumpers, Royston Reds, Augusta Tourists and the Anniston Steelers. In 1909, Cobb was arrested for assault for an incident that occurred in a Cleveland hotel. [61] In the offseason between 1907 and 1908, Cobb negotiated with Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina, offering to coach baseball there "for $250 a month, provided that he did not sign with Detroit that season." [77], The league suspended him, and his teammates, though not fond of Cobb, went on strike to protest the suspension, and the lack of protection of players from abusive fans, before the May 18 game in Philadelphia. No action was taken. [33] While with the Tourists he was mentored and coached by George Leidy, who emphasized pinpoint bunting and aggression on the basepaths. Cobb was pursued by demons. Later in the game, he launched a ball over the pavilion in right and added another "over-the-fence" homer in the 8th. During his 24-year career, he established records in virtually every area of the offensive game. Ty Cobb named SportsCentury athlete No. [5] Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis held a secret hearing with Cobb, Speaker and Wood. Cobb is interred in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Royston, Georgia. 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. After one game in which the Tigers fielded a team of semipro and amateur players, Cobbs suspension was reduced to 10 days. According to U.S. Social Security Administration counts, the name Tyrus did not appear in the top 1,000 boy or girl names until 1912, the year after Cobb first hit over .400. [38][64][124], Cobb's children found him to be demanding, yet also capable of kindness and extreme warmth. SUMMARY Career WAR 151.5 AB 11440 H 4189 HR 117 BA .366 R 2245 RBI 1944 SB 897 OBP .433 SLG [62], The following season, the Tigers finished ahead of the Chicago White Sox for the pennant. ", Cobb was having a tremendous year in 1911, which included a 40-game hitting streak. By The Numbers: MLB's Top 10 Practically Unbreakable Records How Early Investments In GM and Coke Made Ty Cobb One Of The Richest One author points to another. [92] That year, he also won his ninth consecutive batting title, hitting .369. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. And from 1909-1919, he never hit lower than .368. [176] All of these round to .366. [39] At age 20, he was the youngest player to win a batting championship and held this record until 1955, when fellow Detroit Tiger Al Kaline won the batting title while twelve days younger than Cobb had been. The Tigers had also finished third in 1922, but 16 games behind the Yankees. Realizing that no one on the Highlanders had called time, Cobb strolled unobserved to third base, and then casually walked towards home plate as if to get a better view of the argument. But Baseball-Almanac.com and other sources credit Cobb with 54 steals of home -- 21 more than his next-closest competitor, NL leader Max Carey (33). According to Brown, Cobb said he felt that he had made mistakes and that he would do things differently if he could. Ty Cobb Was Not A Racist. [17][18][19][20][21] While he was known for often violent conflicts, he spoke favorably about black players joining the Major Leagues and was a well-known philanthropist. [79] The pre-1901 record for the most hits and runs given up in a game is held by the Cleveland Blues' Dave Rowe. A steal of home plate is not an officially recorded statistic. The book sold well, but in December 1961, True magazine published a story . Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 12:21AM. [104][105][106], As Ruth's popularity grew, Cobb became increasingly hostile toward him. September 11, 1928 Sept. 8, 1985, the day Pete Rose really broke Ty Cobb's record How did Cobb, an inaugural member of the Hall of Fame who hit .366 and tallied 4,189 hits over a 24-year Major League career, come to be known as much for his failings as his successes? He was a pain . On January 27, 1927, Judge Landis cleared Cobb and Speaker of any wrongdoing because of Leonard's refusal to appear at the hearings. [73] He also asked for the police to intervene, but they refused. He was awarded another Chalmers car, this time for being voted the AL MVP by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Stump would claim say that the collaboration was contentious, and after Cobb's death Stump published two more books and a short story giving what he said was the "true story" One of these later books was used as the basis for the 1994 film Cobb (a box office flop starring Tommy Lee Jones as Cobb and directed by Ron Shelton). Yes, we all remember him at Riverfront Stadium standing on first on Sept. 11, 1985, celebrating hit No. 4. He accomplished the feat four times during his career, still an MLB record as of 2022. Among those still standing are his career batting average (.366), combined total runs and runs batted in (4,065), and batting titles (11). At the time in which Babe Ruth played, some of baseball's modern awards did not exist. Ty Cobb history built on inaccuracies - MLB August 29, 1977: Lou Brock passes Ty Cobb in career stolen bases A. Cobb and Wood admitted to writing the letters, but claimed that a horse-racing bet was involved and that Leonard's accusations were in retaliation for Cobb's having released him from the Tigers, thereby demoting him to the minor leagues. (Age 41-268d) Twenty-five years ago Saturday, Pete Rose collected his 4,192nd hit, supposedly breaking Ty Cobb's all-time record (today's best information suggests that Cobb actually finished his career with . But Cobb did retroactively meet the Baseball Encylopedias statistical requirements of a save in his second of two career pitching appearances. Approximately 150 friends and relatives attended a brief service in Cornelia, Georgia, and drove to the Cobb family mausoleum in Royston for the burial. List of Major League Baseball career records - Wikipedia Other notable baseball stars who assaulted heckling fans include Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Rube Waddell, Kid Gleason, Sherry Magee, and Fred Clarke. He died there on July 17, 1961, at age 74.[52][143]. [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. That doesnt necessarily mean he wasnt a racist, but the truth about Cobb has long been difficult to pin down. 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. (the meaning of which is unknown) and go in for a hug. He won nine consecutive AL batting titles from 1907 to 1915 and three more in his career. I believed in putting up a mental hazard for the other fellow. "[76] According to Russo, the crowd cheered Cobb on in the fight. [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. but a great pain . The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. His timing is perfect. Ty Cobb Stats, Fantasy & News | MLB.com Page 68. What Is His Lifetime Batting Average? Members of both teams were spectators, and broke up the scuffle after Cobb had knocked Evans down, pinned him and began choking him. Cobb announced to his wife, Amanda, that he was headed to the family farm and would not be back that night. [145] Baseball's only representatives at his funeral were three old-time players, Ray Schalk, Mickey Cochrane and Nap Rucker, along with Sid Keener, the director of the Baseball Hall of Fame, but messages of condolences numbered in the hundreds and included notes from Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. Although he performed poorly in the postseason, he won the Triple Crown by hitting .377 with 107 RBI and nine home runs, all inside the park, thus becoming the only player of the modern era to lead his league in home runs in a season without hitting a ball over the fence. [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. Cobb was selected on all but four ballots cast, or 98.2%. [115], Leonard accused former pitcher and outfielder Smoky Joe Wood and Cobb of betting on a TigersIndians game played in Detroit on September 25, 1919, in which they allegedly orchestrated a Tigers victory to win the bet. Following his retirement, Cobb even befriended one of his greatest rivals, Babe Ruth, whose wife Claire was from Georgia. CSG-certified 1910 E98 Set, Led by High-grade Ty Cobb Card, Likely to The players smashed his homemade bats, nailed his cleats in the clubhouse, doused his clothes before tying knots in them, and verbally abused him. [84] Cobb would later plead guilty to simple assault and pay a $100 fine. Cobb is one of the most celebrated players in baseball history.