LAKELAND, FL – FEBRUARY 26: Former Detroit Tigers outfielder and Baseball Hall-of-Famer Al Kaline watches practice during Spring Training workouts at the TigerTown facility on February 26, 2015 in Lakeland, Florida. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Detroit Tigers legend Al Kaline died on Monday. Kaline was a baseball Hall of Famer who was nicknamed “Mr. Tiger.”
Al Kaline, the most decorated player in Detroit Tigers history, died on Monday at the age of 85.
Kaline was an 18-time All-Star and won 10 Gold Gloves in the outfield. Despite never winning a Most Valuable Player Award during his 22-year career, he finished in the top-10 of voting eight times.
Kaline led all of baseball with a .340 batting average and 200 hits in 1955, his first All-Star season. Although he came up just short on some major milestones (399 home runs, 498 doubles), he racked up 3,007 hits in his career and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980. His number 6 was also retired by the club that same year.
He slashed .379/.400/.655 with two home runs and eight RBI en route to his lone World Series championship in 1968.
Kaline served as a Tigers color commentator from 1975 to 2002, and then served as a special advisor to then Tigers general manager, president, and CEO Dave Dombrowski.
Dubbed “Mr. Tiger,” his 399 home runs, 1,277 walks, and 2,834 games remain the most in franchise history. His 3,007 hits are second only to fellow Hall of Famer Ty Cobb.