Cobb relates in his autobiography how he "solved" Johnson after seeing how upset Johnson became after hitting the Tigers' Ossie Vitt in the head in a game in 1915. Who but Cobb would actually crowd and lean in over the plate against the great fastball pitcher? But that's what he did, and rather than hit him or brush him back, the mild-mannered Johnson gave Cobb a steady diet of pitches on the outside, which Cobb feasted on. From 1907 through 1914, Cobb hit better than .222 in only one season against Johnson, and was just 3 for 26 in the years 1913-14. But from 1915 through 1926, Cobb averaged .435, with his worst year at .276.
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