Highlighted Year: Al Kaline, 1961

Outfielder, Detroit Tigers

Age: 26

8^th season with Tigers

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 175 

Prior to 1961:

A Baltimore native, Kaline was the son of a semipro baseball player. Coached by his father to be a pitcher, he developed a strong throwing arm while also dealing with the effects of osteomyelitis that forced him to run on the side of his left foot. As a freshman at Southern High School, he excelled at basketball and the baseball coach developed him into a center fielder. A .333 hitter as a freshman, he continued to hit impressively, including .469 as a junior and .488 as a senior. as he became an excellent fielder. Drawing the interest of major league scouts, Kaline signed with the Tigers soon after graduating high school in 1953 for a three-year contract at $20,000 plus a $15,000 bonus. The 18-year-old Kaline immediately joined the Tigers and went on to appear in 30 games and batted .250 with a home run and .300 on-base percentage. After playing winter ball in Cuba he became the starting right fielder for the Tigers in 1954 and hit .276 with 18 doubles, 4 home runs, 43 RBIs, and a .305 OBP. More esteemed for his defense at this point, he broke out in a big way as a hitter in 1955 as he became the youngest AL batting champion at age 20 by hitting .340 with a league-leading 200 hits that included 24 doubles, 8 triples, and 27 home runs. He also accounted for 102 RBIs, a .421 OBP, and a .546 slugging percentage. Possessing poise beyond his years while a graceful hitter with a much admired batting form that delivered line drive power, plus great speed and defensive ability, Kaline was an All-Star for the first time and placed second in league MVP voting. Pressing at the plate in 1956, he got off to a slow start but came on strong after the All-Star break to finish at .314 with 32 doubles, 10 triples, 27 home runs, 128 RBIs, a .383 OBP, and a .530 slugging percentage. Prior to the 1957 season Kaline became embroiled in a contract dispute with the Tigers which led to some bad publicity and made the naturally introverted player become wary of the press.. On the field he got off to another slow start and batted .295 with 29 doubles, 23 home runs, 90 RBIs, a .343 OBP, and a .478 slugging percentage with the aid of a strong second half. He received a Gold Glove for his play in right field in the first year that they were awarded. Receiving another Gold Glove in 1958 after topping AL outfielders with 23 assists, Kaline also hit .313 with 34 doubles, 7 triples, 16 home runs, 85 RBIs, a .374 OBP, and a .490 slugging percentage. In 1960 Kaline was shifted to center field due to an injury to Harvey Kuenn, the starting player at that position. Kuenn took over in right field upon his return to the lineup. Kaline also exhibited toughness by returning to action soon after being struck in the cheek by a bad pitch. The move to center field did not keep him from winning another Gold Glove and his batting production did not suffer with the change in position as he hit .327 with 19 doubles, 27 home runs, 94 RBIs, a .410 OBP, and a league-leading .530 slugging percentage. The arrival of power-hitting Rocky Colavito in 1960 kept Kaline in center field and he had an uncharacteristically erratic season at the plate. He was hampered by an ankle injury and there were concerns about his being distracted by off-field business interests in combination with ice hockey star Gordie Howe of the Detroit Red Wings. For the year he batted .278 with 29 doubles, 15 home runs, 68 RBIs, a .354 OBP, and a .426 slugging percentage, although he swiped a career high 19 stolen bases. He still was an All-Star if not a Gold Glove recipient. New manager Bob Scheffing shifted Colavito to left field in 1961, clearing the way for Kaline to return to his preferred spot in right field.

1961 Season Summary

Appeared in 153 games

RF – 141, CF – 22, PH – 5, 3B – 1, LF – 1

 [Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 665 [15]

At Bats – 586 [14]

Runs – 116 [5]

Hits – 190 [3]

Doubles – 41 [1]

Triples – 7 [7, tied with five others]

Home Runs – 19

RBI – 82 [17, tied with Minnie Minoso]

Bases on Balls – 66 [19, tied with Jackie Jensen & Ron Hansen]

Int. BB – 2

Strikeouts – 42

Stolen Bases – 14 [11]

Caught Stealing – 1

Average - .324 [2]

OBP - .393 [7]

Slugging Pct. - .515 [9]

Total Bases – 302 [7]

GDP – 16 [14, tied with Roger Maris, Norm Cash & Jackie Jensen]

Hit by Pitches – 4 [16, tied with fourteen others]

Sac Hits – 4

Sac Flies – 5

League-leading doubles were +3 ahead of runners-up Brooks Robinson & Tony Kubek

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 20, 3B – 5, HR - 10, RBI - 48, AVG - .299, OBP - .358, SLG - .487

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) vs. NY Yankees 6/17, (in 4 AB) at Boston 9/7, (in 4 AB) vs. NY Yankees 9/16

Longest hitting streak – 22 games

HR at home – 8

HR on road – 11

Most home runs, game – 1 on nineteen occasions

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 5 vs. NY Yankees 6/17

Pinch-hitting – 3 for 5 (.600) with 2 2B, 1 3B & 4 RBI

Fielding

Chances – 391

Put Outs – 378

Assists – 9

Errors – 4

DP – 3

Pct. – .990

Awards & Honors:

Gold Glove

All-Star (Started for AL in RF, second game)

9^th in AL MVP voting (35 points – 13% share)

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The Tigers went 101-61 to finish second in the AL, 8 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees while leading the league in runs scored (841), triples (53), batting (.266), and OBP (.347). The Tigers started off fast and were in first place from April 29 until June 6 and then again from June 17 through July 6. They were in first or second for the remainder of July but in second to stay through August and September. After losing three straight to the Yankees in New York to start September, they continued to lose until the string reached eight to end any pennant hopes.

Aftermath of 1961:

Kaline got off to a strong start in 1962 and was batting over .336 in May when he suffered a broken collarbone while making a diving catch at Yankee Stadium. He missed eight weeks and 57 games as Detroit lost ground in the pennant race and he finished the season at .304 with 16 doubles, 29 home runs, 94 RBIs, a .376 OBP, and a .593 slugging percentage. Iin 1963 Kaline was hitting well until hindered by a knee injury and ended up batting .312 with 24 doubles, 27 home runs, 101 RBIs, a .375 OBP, and a .514 slugging percentage. Foot, ankle, and knee injuries hindered Kaline in 1964 and he hit .293 with 31 doubles, 5 triples, 17 home runs, 68 RBIs, a .383 OBP, and a .469 slugging percentage. He was still an All-Star (although he skipped the game due to injury) and received a Gold Glove for his sterling defensive play. His batting production remained below par in 1965 due to chronic injuries and appearing in 125 games, he finished at .281 with 18 doubles, 18 home runs, 72 RBIs, a .388 OBP, and a .471 slugging percentage. Following foot surgery in the offseason, in 1966 Kaline was able to run with his customary speed again and was batting a league-leading .325 at the All-Star break. Further minor injuries and the distractions of two managers having to step down due to health issues caused both Kaline and the entire club to dip in the second half and he finished at .288 with 29 doubles, 29 home runs, 88 RBIs, a .392 OBP, and a .534 slugging percentage. An All-Star as usual, he also placed seventh in league MVP balloting and won his ninth Gold Glove. The Tigers were strong contenders in a wild AL pennant race in 1967 and, although Kaline missed 26 games after suffering a broken thumb due to slamming his bat back in the rack following a strikeout in a June game against Cleveland (an uncharacteristic display of temper), he still contributed mightily to Detroit’s pennant chase by batting .308 with 28 doubles, 25 home runs, 78 RBIs, a .411 OBP, and a .541 slugging percentage. The Tigers narrowly missed the pennant but they didn’t fall short in 1968, winning the American League pennant by 12 games. Kaline suffered a broken arm in late May and played in a reduced role upon his return due to Jim Northrup’s good play in right field in his place. Primarily used at first base and as a pinch-hitter during the season’s second half, he still contributed key hits as the club nailed down the pennant. Appearing in 102 games he hit .287 with 14 doubles, 10 home runs, 52 RBIs, and a .392 OBP. While one of his previously stated career goals was to play in a World Series, he suggested to manager Mayo Smith that he didn’t deserve the opportunity at this point. Smith adjusted the lineup for the Series against the St. Louis Cardinals by moving center fielder Mickey Stanley to shortstop, Northrup to center field, and installing Kaline in right field. The Tigers fell behind three-games-to-one but won three straight games and the World Series. Kaline batted .379 with two homers in the seven games. Back in his regular spot in right field in 1969, Kaline hit .272 with 21 home runs, 69 RBIs, a .346 OBP, and a .447 slugging percentage. The Tigers finished second in the AL East in the new divisional alignment, unable to gain ground on the first-place Baltimore Orioles. Al Kaline Day was celebrated at Tiger Stadium in 1970 and the aging star split time between right field and first base on his way to batting .278 with 24 doubles, 16 home runs, 71 RBIs, a .377 OBP, and a .450 slugging percentage. In 1971 he reached the $100,000 salary level, played regularly in right field, and hit .294 with 15 home runs, 54 RBIs, a .416 OBP, and a .462 slugging percentage for the resurgent Tigers. 1972 marked his twentieth season, as he achieved another of his stated career goals. Dealing with an injured left leg throughout the season, he came on strong down the stretch and knocked in the winning run in the game that clinched the AL East title for the Tigers. Overall, in 106 games he batted .313 with 10 home runs, 32 RBIs, a .374 OBP, and a .475 slugging percentage. Detroit lost the ALCS to the Oakland Athletics in five games in which Kaline hit .263 with a home run. He played two more seasons until 1974, when he was used almost exclusively as a Designated Hitter, batting .262 with 28 doubles, 13 home runs, 64 RBIs, and a .227 OBP. He was also an All-Star for the eighteenth and last time. For his major league career, spent entirely with the Tigers, Kaline batted .297 with 3007 hits that included 498 doubles, 75 triples, and 399 home runs. He scored 1622 runs and compiled 1582 RBIs, 137 stolen bases, a .376 OBP, and a .480 slugging percentage. Appearing in 12 postseason games, he hit .333 with 3 homers and 9 RBIs. In addition to being an 18-time All-Sar, he finished in the Top 10 in AL MVP voting nine times and received 10 Gold Gloves. Following his playing career he became a commentator on Tigers telecasts for 25 years. He also served the team as a spring training instructor. The modest star was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Tigers retired his #6. “Mr. Tiger” died in 2020 at age 85. At his Hall of Fame induction he summed up his career by saying “if there is one accomplishment of which I am particularly proud, it is that I have always served baseball to the best of my ability, never have I deliberately done anything to discredit the game, the Tigers, or my family.” The quiet man of dignity led by example and was esteemed by fans and contemporaries.

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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc. players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.