Ty Cobb Becomes The First Player to Reach 4,000 Hits July 18, 1927

On This Day in Baseball History July 18, 1927: Philadelphia Athletics outfielder Ty Cobb became the first Major League Baseball player to reach the 4,000 hit plateau against his former team the Detroit Tigers at the Tigers home Navin Field. He would hit his 4,000th hit against Tigers pitcher Sam Gibson in the top of the first inning.

Unlike the fanfare that reaching such a milestone would garner in today's Baseball world, Cobb reaching 4,000 barely garnered any press. The New York Times of July 19, 1927 not only doesn't mention Cobb reaching 4,000 hits, he isn't even mentioned in the two paragraph article describing the 5-3 loss by the Athletics. The blogpost No hoopla when Ty Cobb got his 4,000th hit by Richard Bak from the Detroit Athletic Company dated November 18, 2013 mentions some of the Detroit press from that day's baseball action:

As Harry Salsinger wrote in the next day’s Detroit News, “Cobb hit a line drive into right field and [Harry] Heilmann, trying for a one-handed catch, got his glove on the ball but it bounced out and gave Cobb a scratch two-bagger.” Harry Bullion of the Detroit Free Press described Cobb’s hit as “a lucky double [that] slid off Heilmann’s gloved hand and helped in the making of two runs.” The 2-0 lead didn’t last long as Detroit countered with three runs in the bottom of the first off Lefty Grove.

Significantly, the game was not held up to acknowledge the historic base hit and Cobb didn’t ask for the ball. In fact, Cobb’s accomplishment was scarcely acknowledged in the next day’s papers. One reason is that little emphasis was put on such arcane records then. Another is that it was considered just another ho-hum day at the office for the 40-year-old Cobb, a hitting machine who seemed likely to go on forever. Who was to say that he wouldn’t reach 5,000 hits someday? The same attitude prevailed at the end of the summer when Babe Ruth clouted his 60th home run, breaking his own record. Like 4,000 hits, 60 home runs made for a nice round number, but many observers figured the Yankees’ slugger might one day hit 65 or 70, so why get too excited?

The Free Press ran a column of notes with the headline: “Bengals In Third Place; Ty Cobb Gets 4,000th Hit.” Bullion wrote: “When Cobb made his fluke double in the first inning, it was his 4,000th major league safety. He’s so far ahead of all records of other batsmen that he will never be beaten or tied.”

Trying not to be defeated in trying to find something on Cobb's 4,000th, I decided to look into a trusted resource that I have used before when posting about Cobb.

I pulled my worn copy of Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball with Al Stump off my Baseball book shelf and to my dismay, I found NOTHING about the day Cobb delivered his 4,000th hit. The only mention of his accomplishments during the 1927 season for the A's is on page 257:

My personal performance in 1927 was satisfactory: a matter of 175 hits in 134 games, 104 runs scored and another 93 driven in for an average of .357. At forty-one, I could still leg it a bit, if 22 stolen bases was any evidence.

Cobb would become the charter member of the 4,000 hit club that day and finish his career with 4,191 hits. On page 146, Cobb would claim that out of the 4,191 hits he collected over his 24-year career, 72-plus percent of them were singles. He had 3,054 singles out of his total of 4,191 hits for an accurate 72.9 percent.

There is only one other member of the 4,000 hit club and that is the man who would eventually pass Ty Cobb as Baseball's All-time hit king: Pete Rose. Rose would reach 4,000 hits on April 13, 1984 and would pass Cobb on September 11, 1985 with his 4,192nd hit. Rose would finish his career with 4,256 hits.

So much for trying to find something Cobb may have said concerning the day he hit his 4,000th hit. Oh well. Though the article doesn't mention the accomplishment here is the boxscore for the Philadelphia Athletics vs. The Detroit Tigers on July 18, 1927 from the July 19, 1927 edition of the New York Times:

Will we ever see another player reach 4,000 hits? I always thought that Derek Jeter had a chance before he broke his ankle in the postseason against the Detroit Tigers in 2013. He would finish his career in 2014 with 3,465 hits. Anyone want to take a guess on who, if anyone, can reach 4,000 hits in today's game?

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

Ty Cobb Passes Away on July 17, 1961

On This Day in Baseball History July 17, 1961: One of professional Baseball's best, most intense and controversial players Tyrus Raymond Cobb passed away at the age of 74 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The man simply known as Ty amassed an amazing number of accomplishments in his 24-year Baseball career. At the time of his retirement after the 1928 season, Cobb finished with a still league high .366 career batting average, 4,189 hits (724 2B/295 3B/117 HR) and 1933 RBI. Cobb had a career slash line of .366/.433/.512 with an OPS of .945. What was most impressive about Cobb's accomplishments is that he led the league in batting 12-times with a never a batting average under .324 and hit over .400 three times.

Cobb would gain 98.2% of the vote in the inaugural National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1936. In doing so, he was the top vote-getter in a class that included such players as Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson.

Cobb would pass away of complications from diabetes and chronic heart disease at Emory University Hospital.

The following opinion piece was printed in the July 18, 1961 New York Times and I believe epitomizes who Ty Cobb the Baseball player was in conjunction with two of his contemporaries: Christy Mathewson and Babe Ruth:

Baseball as well as all sport has lost one of its great figures in the death of Tyrus Raymond Cobb. As with two of his outstanding contemporaries, the late Christy Mathewson and Babe Ruth, his was a name which became synonymous with America's national pastime. Curiously, each of these three was cast in his own mold.

The handsome Matty was the ideal American boy, the type that every mother hopes her son some day would emulate. The flamboyant Babe the uninhibited child of nature whose amazing exploits on the field, mixed with his engaging frankness and wayward habits, endeared himself to the public and made him the greatest attraction the game had ever known.

And Cobb, the Georgia Peach, epitomized the flaming spirit of youth. In Ty the will to win was ever uppermost. He set more records in baseball than any man who ever lived. But the setting of records, as such, meant very little to him. 

They were merely the accumulation of statistics compiled as he drove himself from day to day to live by the only code he knew. That was to play every afternoon a little harder and a little better than he had the day before. Victory was his only goal and to gain it he spared neither himself nor his adversaries. He knew no excuse for defeat. 

Some players are once in a generation. Some are once in a lifetime. Cobb was unique. There will only be one Ty Cobb.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:

Here are a series of articles printed in the July 18, 1961 edition of the New York Times reflecting back on the legacy of Ty Cobb

- Ty Cobb, Baseball Great, Dies
- Cobb, Hailed as Greatest Player in History, Mourned by Baseball World
- Sports of The Times: The Cobb We Knew by John Drebinger
- Ty Cobb

Ty Cobb Makes His Debut Against The New York Highlanders August 30, 1905

On this day in Baseball History August 30, 1905: Tyrus Raymond Cobb or simply known as Ty Cobb made his major league debut for the Detroit Tigers against Jack Chesbro and the New York Highlanders at Detroit's Bennett Park at the age of 18. Now I could go on and wax poetically about how Cobb faced off against Chesbro in a battle of future Hall of Famers. But you know what, I'll let Mr. Cobb speak for himself on his debut day in the majors. From the pages 17-19 of the book Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball with Al Stump:

Warming up for the New York Highlanders was the legendary Wee Willie Keeler, onlt 5 feet 4 1/2 inches and 140 pounds, but a placement hitter beyond compare. With his choked-up bottle bat, Keeler had averaged as high as .432. A fourteen-year veteran, he had yet to hit under .300. At second base was the great Kid Elberfield himself. The New York pitcher was Jack Chesbro, the original master of the spitball who'd won a record 41 games the season before. On our side was Wahoo Sam Crawford and Bobby Lowe, first man to hit four home runs in one game. And Germany Schaefer, who stole bases in reverse to demonstrate his genius. Until that day- my first in a big-time park -I'd never dreamed that men could field and hit so wonderfully. Such speed, class, style, speedy maneuvering, and lightning thinking! It seemed miles beyond anything that I could ever do. When the bell rang, I found myself in a duel by artists at the art of extracting every last inch of opportunity from every situation. And they went at it with a red-eyed determination I could not believe. On one play, Kid Elberfield tried to bump Schaefer off his running line as he raced for third, and Germany dumped him on his head for it. "Rowdy Bill" Coughlin, our third baseman, flew at umpire Silk O'Loughlin and was thrown out. Frank Delahanty of New York made a diving, somersaulting catch that left me wide-eyed. Later, Delahanty was carried away after tearing ankle tendons while trying to stretch a double into a triple. He was through for the season.

And in terms of his matchup against Chesbro?

When Chesbro cranked and fired his overhand spitter-loaded with slippery elm-it came up to the plate like a standard fastball, and then took a diabolical dive under your bat.

Armour had me, a babe-in-the-woods, batting fifth in the line-up!

What did they say about me the next day? The Detroit Journal of August 31, 1905, wasted few words: "Cobb, the juvenile outfield from Augusta, made his first appearance and was given a hospitable hand. He comes up to expectation."

The Free Press had a little more to say:
"Cobb got away well. For a young man anxious to get along in the world, it was not an auspicious situation as he faced Mr. Chesbro, the American League's finest twirler. In addition, Tyrus had the bad luck to confront Chesbro on two occasions when two men were out and a man waiting to score-a base hit being the only thing of value. First time up, Chesbro pour two fast strikes past the uneasy lad. But then the Georgian whaled the next one over Eddie Hahn's head and off the center field wall, for a delightful double that scored his man. Second time up he drew a walk and was thrown out stealing. In the field he was adequate
"Tyrus was well-received and may consider a two-ball pry-up a much better career opener than usually comes a young fellow's way."

We beat Chesbro 5-3, and I actually made a clean hit off the meanest delivery in the business. That night I was floating off the ground.

A few things stand out to me from the two italicized passages. One is that I love the use of the word "Twirler" to describe the pitcher. I'm going to try and bring that word back into usage. LOL. Second is how Cobb describes how Chesbro was the master spitballer. Cobb on page 57 goes into what pitchers used to gain mastery in the delivery of the spitter:

Pitchers dosed baseballs with licorice, talcum, slippery elm, and saliva flavored with tobacco until they came at the hitter so discolored that he could hardly pick them out of the shadows. 

It is always a treat for me to read the exploits of a by-gone era of Baseball History in the words of players that played the game. In today's era of the instant blurb and quip on social media and the 24-hour news cycle on a multitude of sports channels, to reach back into history for the exact feelings of a player such as Cobb is more than I can ever do in placing words down on this blogpost.

Well, there you go. Straight from the Georgia Peach's mouth. Here boxscore for Ty Cobb's debut in the majors August 30, 1905 from the New York Times August 31, 1905.

Regardless of how you personally feel about Cobb, there's no denying that we'll never see a player like him in today's baseball. Some might say thankfully so, but they definitely broke the mold when Cobb was made.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

For Further Reading:

- Click Here to access Ty Cobb's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

- Click Here to access Jack Chesbro's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

- Click Here to access the article The Knife in Ty Cobb’s Back: Did the baseball great really confess to murder on his deathbed? by Gilbert King from the Smithsonian Magazine website dated August 30, 2011

A Trio of Baseball Highlights on August 29

There were a few things of note that happened in Baseball History on August 29th.

August 29, 1972

San Francisco Giants pitcher Jim Barr retires the first 20 batters he faces in St. Louis against the Cardinals after he had retired the last 21 he retired in his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates at San Francisco's Candlestick Park for a then major league (Mark Buerhle retired 45 in 2009) and until recently a National League record 41 in a row. Ironically, both the National League and the Major League records for consecutive retired batters in a row was just broken yesterday by Giants starter Yusmeiro Petit who retired 46 consecutive batters before allowing a hit.

For Further Reading:

• Click Here to access Jim Barr's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
• Jim Barr responds to Yusmeiro Petit breaking his record — former SF Giants’ pitcher: ‘I can’t rest on my laurels anymore’ by Mike Shea from the Shea Hey blogpage from the SFGate website dated August 28, 2014

August 29, 1977

Since I seem to have mentioned St Louis Cardinals speedster Lou Brock as of late, on today's date in 1977, Brock passed Hall of Famer Ty Cobb's 49-year-old career stolen bases record which stood at 893 in a 4-3 loss against the San Diego Padres in San Diego. Brock would finish his career with 938 stolen bases over an 18-year career and would be the All-Time stolen base king until Rickey Henderson would break his record on May 1, 1991.

For Further Reading:

• Click Here to access Lou Brock's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
• Lou Brock Passes Cobb from The Spokesman Review August 30, 1977 Page 19 from the Google News website 

August 29, 1987

Staying with another player that I have seemed to be writing about as of late, Nolan Ryan passes the 200-strikeout barrier for a record 11th time. Ryan set the record for the Houston Astros in a 7-strikeout game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh. Ryan would have another four 200+ strikeout seasons and set the bar at 15 seasons (Angels 7/Astros 5/Rangers 3) with 200+ strikeouts. Out of those 15 seasons, Ryan led the league in strikeouts 11 times. Roger Clemens with 11 and Tom Seaver with 10 are next on the list.

For Further Reading:

• Click Here to access Nolan Ryan's career statistics from Baseball Reference.com
• Click Here to access the Strikeout Records page from Baseball Almanac.com

Well, these are three events in Baseball History out of probably an unlimited amount of events. As I keep coming across them, I'll keep posting them.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,

Baseball Sisco

#baseballsisco

#baseballsiscokidstyle

The Most Steals of Home Plate

Getty Images

I came across an answer to the question of Who is the all-time leader of steals of home plate when reading The Baseball Fan's Bucket List: 162 Things You Must Do, See, Get, and Experience Before You Die by Robert and Jenna Santelli. Now whenever I think of stealing home I think of Jackie Robinson stealing home during Game One of the 1955 World Series and catcher Yogi Berra jumping up in protest when the umpire called Robinson safe. Now unfortunately the statistic of steals of home is not an official statistic but I decided I look online to see what I could find.

The Baseball Fan's bucket list states that Ty Cobb is the all-time leader with 50. Baseball Almanac has Ty Cobb in the lead with 54 stolen bases of home. Here is the list as compiled by Baseball Almanac (for players with 10 or more stolen bases of home plate):

Stealing Home Plate Ten Times in a Career
Ty Cobb (1905-1928) 54
Max Carey (1910-1925) 33
George Burns (1911-1925) or (1914-1929) 28
Honus Wagner (1897-1917) 27
Sherry Magee (1904-1919) 23
Frank Schulte (1914-1918) 23
Johnny Evers (1902-1929) 21
George Sisler (1915-1930) 20
Frankie Frisch (1919-1937) 19
Jackie Robinson (1947-1956) 19
Jim Sheckard (1897-1913) 18
Tris Speaker (1907-1928) 18
Joe Tinker (1902-1916) 18
Rod Carew (1967-1985) 17
Eddie Collins (1906-1930) 17
Larry Doyle (1907-1912) 17
Tommy Leach (1898-1918) 16
Ben Chapman (1933-1946) 15
Fred Clarke (1894-1915) 15
Lou Gehrig (1923-1939) 15
Bobby Byrne (1907-1917) 14
Fritz Maisel (1913-1918) 14
Fred Merkle (1907-1926) 14
Vic Saier (1911-1929) 14
Heinie Zimmerman (1907-1919) 13
Donie Bush (1908-1923) 12
Sam Rice (1915-1934) 12
Shano Collins (1910-1925) 11
Harry Hooper (1909-1925) 11
George Moriarty (1903-1916) 11
Braggo Roth (1914-1921) 11
Buck Herzog (1908-1920) 11
Jimmy Johnston (1911-1926) 10
Rabbit Maranville (1912-1935) 10
Paul Molitor (1978-1998) 10
Babe Ruth (1914-1935) 10
Billy Werber (1930-1942) 10
Ross Youngs (1917-1926) 10

****AUTHOR'S NOTE There are two different sets of years listed for George Burns since there were two players named George Burns who played during virtually the same time. Both had a high number of stolen bases so I couldn't discern which George Burns was the one on this list. 

I added the years the players played to add perspective to the list. Out of the 38 players on the list, 32 of the players made their debut in the Dead Ball Era. Baseball Reference describes the Dead Ball Era as:

While the exact period that should be described as the Deadball Era is arguable, it is generally recognized to have stretched from the founding of the American League in 1901 to the elimination of the spitball in 1920. The Deadball Era marked the end of the sport's rapid development in the 19th Century and the beginning of relative stability in the rules and structure of the Major League game.

What I find curious is that among the speedsters like Rabbit Maranville, Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb, there is Babe Ruth with 10 steals of home. I guess Tommy Lee Jones as Ty Cobb in the Cobb movie was right about Ruth: He could run okay for a fat man. =)

The remaining six players are broken down as such: Three debuted between 1920 and 1935, one in 1947 (Robinson) and two after 1965 (Carew and Molitor). Only four of the top ten in career stolen bases are on this list (Cobb, Collins, Carey and Wagner). So what does this show?

I believe that it shows that stealing home was a part of an aggressive strategy employed by managers and base-runners in an era where there wasn't a reliance on the long ball to score runs. With the rise of the long ball and the gaining popularity such Baseball philosophies as Moneyball (stolen bases are not deemed favorable in the Sabermetric principles concerning Baseball statistics and productivity) the tendency to try to steal home (and to a lesser degree all bases) has diminished in the last decades. But are these the only reasons why the stealing home has virtually disappeared? I kept looking and found another reason why.

I found an article by Dave Anderson of the New York Times entitled Why Nobody Steals Home Anymore which was published on April 16, 1989. Now given that the article is almost 25 years old, I find that it is still relevant with the game today. One statement from Whitey Herzog in the article stood out to me:

'The game has changed,'' said Whitey Herzog, the Cardinals' manager. ''You don't see big windups anymore.''

Anderson further adds:

With a base-stealing threat on third, pitchers seldom use a big rocking-chair windup as they often did years ago. Instead, they usually check the runner in coming to a stretch or a semistretch position that not only holds the runner closer to the bag but also takes less time.

This makes total sense to me. Aside from Dontrelle Willis, I can't say that I've seen a pitcher recently who utilizes a big windup a-la Juan Marichal and Bob Feller. With windups becoming shorter and more compact and with pitchers even using the stretch more and more, the opportunities to steal home have shrunk. To think about it, the last steal of home I remember was Jacoby Ellsbury stealing home on Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees in 2009.

Though there seems to be a renaissance in base stealing throughout the majors. Cincinnati Reds prospect Billy Hamilton stole a total of 155 bases during the 2012 season evoking memories of the last stolen base glory era of Rickey Henderson, Tim Raines, Willie Wilson and Vince Coleman. I believe that with the concerted effort of MLB to curtail the use of PED's in the sport and the subequent diminishing of power numbers to the Pre-Steroid Era levels, teams are trying to find ways to score runs via small ball techniques. While I believe that stolen bases in general will continue to rise league-wise. it remains to be seen whether or not a return to stealing home becomes the norm or stays a rarity.

Sisco Kid

On a final note, I leave you with footage of the above referenced stolen base of home by Jackie Robinson in the 1955 World Series. Enjoy.