“Al Kaline – he’s the only guy who could make the ball come to him”, per the line in the Purple Rose Theatre play the “Vast Difference”.
In a 1985 interview on WJR’s “Focus” show, hosted by J.P. McCarthy, Mickey Mantle said that Al Kaline was the greatest player that he ever saw. “I was no better than Kaline – he was stuck in Detroit. If he’d played in New York…” the implication that, in the bigger market, Al would’ve been recognized nationally on a par with Mick, and Bob Costas might have had Kaline’s card in his wallet. (Author’s note: although I’m sure that Mickey meant well with his comment, I’d much rather be “stuck” in Detroit cheering on the Tigers than living in New York City with the Damn Yankees as my team)
Al Kaline’s entire 22-year major league career was spent wearing the Olde English D. He retired after the 1974 season with a lifetime .297 batting average, 399 home runs, and 3,007 hits. Had he hit one more homer, Al would’ve been the first American Leaguer to have 400 home runs and 3,000 hits (the Babe had 2,873 hits). Instead that honor went to Yaz aka Carl Yastrzemski, who achieved the 400/3,000 plateau in 1979. When informed of this, Al laughed and said, “If I’d have known that, I would’ve swung harder those last few games.”
When asked about his most memorable at bat, Al said, of course, it was his 1968 World Series hit in game 5 that put the team ahead, a hit crucial to the Tigers win that day and the eventual 7-game World Series victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Second, however, took place in another game at Tiger Stadium, this one against the Yankees and his good friend, Mickey Mantle. That day, Al hit two home runs and Mantle hit two home runs – but one of Al’s came with a teammate on base. The headline in the next day’s paper- the New York paper - read, “Kaline 3, Mantle 2”. For years after, Kaline got a lot of mileage kidding Mickey about that one.
Albert William Kaline… 18-time American League All-Star, winner of 10 Gold Gloves in right field, the 12th player in the history of the game w/ 3,000 career hits, voted 1980 into the Hall Of Fame on the first ballot, 1968 World Series Champion, and idolized by the State of Michigan.
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