View source for Al Kaline

{{Short description|American baseball player (1934–2020)}}
{{About|the baseball player|other uses|Alkaline (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Al Kaline
|image=Al Kaline 1957.jpg
|caption=Kaline in 1957
|position=[[Right fielder]]
|birth_date={{Birth date|1934|12|19}}
|death_date={{Death date and age|2020|04|06|1934|12|19}}
|birth_place=[[Baltimore]], Maryland, U.S.
|death_place=[[Bloomfield Hills, Michigan]], U.S.
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=June 25
|debutyear=1953
|debutteam=Detroit Tigers
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=October 2
|finalyear=1974
|finalteam=Detroit Tigers
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.297
|stat2label=[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
|stat2value=3,007
|stat3label=[[Home run]]s
|stat3value=399
|stat4label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat4value=1,583
|teams=
* [[Detroit Tigers]] ({{mlby|1953}}–{{mlby|1974}})
|highlights=
* 18× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1955 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1955]]–[[1961 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (second game)|1961²]], [[1962 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (second game)|1962²]]–[[1967 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1967]], [[1971 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1971]], [[1974 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1974]])
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1968}})
* 10× [[Gold Glove Award]] (1957–1959, 1961–1967)
* [[Roberto Clemente Award]] (1973)
* [[List of Major League Baseball Batting Champions|AL batting champion]] (1955)
* [[Detroit Tigers#Retired numbers and honorees|Detroit Tigers No. 6]] retired
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate=[[1980 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1980]]
|hofvote=88.3% (first ballot)
}}

'''Albert William Kaline''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|eɪ|l|aɪ|n}} {{Respell|KAY|line}}; December 19, 1934 – April 6, 2020), nicknamed "'''Mr. Tiger'''", was an American professional [[baseball]] [[right fielder]] who [[List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise|played his entire 22-season career]] in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) for the [[Detroit Tigers]].<ref name=br_stats/> For most of his career, Kaline played in the [[outfield]], mainly as a right fielder where he won ten [[Gold Glove Award]]s and was known for his strong throwing arm.<ref>{{cite web|title=Al Kaline |url=http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/kalinal01 |publisher=The Baseball Page.com |access-date=August 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804230316/http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/kalinal01 |archive-date=August 4, 2011 |url-status=live  }}</ref> He was selected to 18 [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Games]], including selections each year between 1955 and 1967. He was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[1980 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1980]] in his first year of eligibility.<ref name=br_stats>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kalinal01.shtml|title=Al Kaline Stats|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=August 7, 2011}}</ref><ref name=hof_bio>{{cite web|title=Al Kaline biography|url=http://baseballhall.org/hof/kaline-al|publisher=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|access-date=August 7, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717211921/http://baseballhall.org/hof/kaline-al|archive-date=July 17, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Near the end of his career, Kaline also played as [[first baseman]] and, in his last season, was the Tigers' [[designated hitter]]. He retired soon after reaching the [[3,000 hit club|3,000 hit]] milestone late in the 1974 season. Immediately after retiring from playing, he became the Tigers' TV [[color commentator]], a position he held from 1975 until 2002. Kaline worked for the Tigers as a front office assistant from 2003 until his death in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=Al Kaline – Special Assistant to the President |url=http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/det/team/team_frontoffice_bio.jsp?loc=al_kaline |publisher=Detroit Tigers |access-date=August 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615103612/http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/det/team/team_frontoffice_bio.jsp?loc=al_kaline |archive-date=June 15, 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

== Early life ==
Kaline was born and raised in [[Baltimore, Maryland]], the son of Naomi (Morgan) and Nicholas Kaline.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VZYYAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Naomi+Morgan%22+Kaline|title = The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives: Sports figures|isbn = 9780684806655|last1 = Jackson|first1 = Kenneth T.|year = 2002| publisher=C. Scribner's Sons }}</ref> His family was poor. Several of his relatives played [[Semi-professional sports|semi-professional]] baseball, but no one in the family had graduated from high school. When he was eight years old, Kaline developed [[osteomyelitis]] and had two inches of bone removed from his left foot.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Goldstein |first1=Richard |title=Al Kaline, Tigers' Perennial All-Around All-Star, Is Dead at 85 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/sports/baseball/al-kaline-tigers-perennial-all-around-all-star-is-dead-at-85.html |access-date=30 April 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=6 April 2020}}</ref> The surgery left him with scarring and permanent deformity, but he was an outstanding [[pitcher]] in youth baseball.<ref name=SI/> Kaline had learned to throw a [[fastball]], [[changeup]] and [[curveball]] by the age of nine.<ref name=Tigers>{{cite book|last1=Pattison|first1=Mark |last2=Raglin |first2=David|title=Detroit Tigers 1984: What a Start! What a Finish!|publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]|isbn=978-1933599458|page=217|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5dcAAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA217|access-date=January 9, 2014|chapter=Al Kaline|date=December 2012}}</ref>

Kaline attended Baltimore's [[Southern High School (Baltimore)|Southern High School]], where he starred in basketball and also played football until he sustained a cheek injury. When he tried out for the baseball team, there was no room on the pitching staff so Kaline moved to the outfield.<ref name=Tigers/> He earned all-state honors in baseball all four years.<ref name=SI>{{cite news|last=Olsen|first=Jack|title=The Torments of Excellence|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1075925/1/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109141634/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1075925/1/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 9, 2014|access-date=April 20, 2013|newspaper=Sports Illustrated|date=May 11, 1964}}</ref> Kaline said that he was a poor student but that he was well-liked by his teachers. He said that his teachers passed him, believing he would become a baseball player.<ref>[[#Hawkins|Hawkins]], p. 18.</ref>

== Professional career ==
=== Early years ===
[[Image:A Kaline at bat.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Kaline in 1957]]

At the time of Kaline's signing, the [[bonus rule]] implemented by [[Major League Baseball]] was still in effect. The rule stipulated that when a major league team signed a player to a contract with a signing bonus in excess of $4,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|4000|1947|r=-3}}}} today), the team was required to keep that player on their 25-man active roster for two full seasons. If the team failed to comply with the rule, they would lose the rights to that player's contract, and the player would then be exposed to the waiver wire.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/Bonus_Babies.shtml |title=MLB Bonus Babies |website=Baseball Almanac}}</ref>

As Kaline had received a bonus of $15,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|15000|1947|r=-3}}}} today), he bypassed the [[Minor League Baseball|minor leagues]] and joined the Tigers directly from high school.<ref>{{cite book|title=Official Profile, Photo and Data Book|year=1957|publisher=Detroit Tigers|page=29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tigers Pay $95,000 Bonus Money For School Hurler and Outfielder|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0A10F63D5B177B93C1AB178DD85F478585F9#|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 2, 2008|date=June 23, 1953}}</ref> Ed Katalinas, the Detroit scout who had tracked him through high school, said: "To me he was the prospect that a scout creates in his mind and then prays that someone will come along to fit the pattern."<ref name="SABR" />

He made his major league debut on June 25, [[1953 Detroit Tigers season|1953]] in [[Philadelphia]] as a late-inning replacement for outfielder [[Jim Delsing]]. Kaline wore number 25 during his rookie campaign, but asked teammate [[Pat Mullin]] for his No. 6 when he retired after the 1953 season ended. Kaline wore the number for the rest of his major league playing career.<ref>[[#Hawkins|Hawkins]], p. 53.</ref>

In [[1955 Detroit Tigers season|1955]], at age 20, Kaline ended the season with a .340 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]], becoming the youngest player ever to win the [[American League]] (AL) [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions|batting title]]. No 20-year-old major league player had won a batting title since [[Ty Cobb]] in 1907. During the 1955 season, Kaline became the 13th man in major league history to hit two [[home run]]s in the same inning, became the youngest to hit three home runs in one game, and finished the year with 200&nbsp;[[Hit (baseball)|hits]], 27&nbsp;home runs and 102&nbsp;[[runs batted in]] (RBIs).<ref name=br_stats/><ref>{{cite web |title=Two home runs in one inning |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/rare_feats/index.jsp?feature=two_homers_inning |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719161531/http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/rare_feats/index.jsp?feature=two_homers_inning |archive-date=July 19, 2011 |website=MLB.com}}</ref> His 200 hits led the major leagues, and he also led the American League with 321 total bases. Kaline finished second to [[Yogi Berra]] in the American League's 1955 [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player Award]] voting.<ref>{{cite web|title=Baseball Awards Voting for 1955|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1955.shtml#ALmvp|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=August 7, 2011}}</ref> He was selected to the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game]], the first in a string of consecutive All-Star selections that lasted through 1967.<ref name=br_stats/>

Kaline followed in [[1956 Detroit Tigers season|1956]] with a .314 batting average, 27&nbsp;home runs and a career-high 128&nbsp;RBIs, finishing third in the AL MVP voting.<ref name=br_stats/> He led the league in outfield [[assist (baseball)|assists]] with 18 in 1956<ref>{{cite web |title=1956 American League Fielding Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1956-fielding-leaders.shtml |access-date=August 7, 2011 |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}</ref> and again in [[1958 Detroit Tigers season|1958]] with 23.<ref>{{cite web|title=1958 American League Fielding Leaders|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1958-fielding-leaders.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=August 7, 2011}}</ref> In [[1957 Detroit Tigers season|1957]], he won the first of what would be ten Gold Glove Awards over the next eleven seasons. Kaline was out for several games in 1958 after he was hit by a pitch. He missed several games in 1959 after he was hit by a thrown ball and sustained a fracture in his cheekbone. Kaline had been knocked out from the blow and initial speculation was that he could miss six weeks of the season.<ref>[[#Hawkins|Hawkins]], p. 92.</ref> Kaline ended up missing only 18 games, and finished the 1959 season with a .327 batting average and 27 home runs. He also led the AL in slugging percentage (.530) and OPS (.940). By the time of his 26th birthday, Kaline had accumulated 1,200 hits, the third highest total by a 25-year-old player in MLB history, behind only [[Ty Cobb]] (1,433) and [[Mel Ott]] (1,249).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Normandin |first=Marc |date=2017-08-08 |title=Mike Trout isn't the fastest to 1,000 hits, but it's still a historic feat |url=https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/8/8/16112462/mike-trout-1000-hits-angels |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=SBNation.com |language=en}}</ref>

===Middle career===
Following the departure of [[Harvey Kuenn]], Kaline played the entire [[1960 Detroit Tigers season|1960 season]] in center field, the only time of his career he would do so. In [[1961 Detroit Tigers season|1961]], the Tigers acquired [[Bill Bruton]] from the [[Milwaukee Braves]] to play center field, allowing Kaline to move back to right field.

In 1961, Kaline led the majors with 41 doubles and hit .324 to finish second in the AL batting race (behind teammate [[Norm Cash]]). The Tigers won 101 games, to date the third-highest win total in team history, but still finished eight games behind a [[New York Yankees]] team that was led by the home run heroics of [[Roger Maris]] (61) and [[Mickey Mantle]] (54). Kaline began the [[1962 Detroit Tigers season|1962 season]] hitting .345 with 13 home runs and 38 RBIs in 35 games. On May 26 of that season, he sustained a broken collarbone while making a game-ending catch on a ball hit by New York's [[Elston Howard]]. He missed 57 games due to the injury and Detroit was unable to seriously compete for a pennant due to his absence. When healthy, Kaline was great in 1962, hitting a career-high 29 home runs and driving in 94 runs in only 100 games.<ref name=Rathet/>

By late March 1963, Kaline said that he felt good and he was hitting .373 in 53 spring training at-bats.<ref name=Rathet>{{cite news|last=Rathet|first=Mike|title=Al Kaline is Back in Groove|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GwBPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6908,3191987|access-date=September 15, 2013|newspaper=[[Ellensburg Daily Record]]|date=March 28, 1963}}</ref> In the [[1963 Detroit Tigers season|1963]] regular season, Kaline hit .312 with 27 home runs and 101 RBIs, finishing second to Elston Howard in the American League's Most Valuable Player Award voting.<ref name=br_stats/><ref>{{cite web|title=Baseball Awards Voting for 1963|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1963.shtml#ALmvp|website=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=August 7, 2011}}</ref> Kaline experienced pain in his left foot, the one that had been affected by osteomyelitis as a child, throughout the 1964 season. His batting average dropped to .293 that season. Kaline tried to ignore the pain, but he saw physicians who thought he was suffering from [[gout]] and administered injections.<ref name=Crazy/>

Still in pain the following season, Kaline saw an [[orthopedic surgeon]] who prescribed corrective shoes. "I feel so much better than I did before, that it's ridiculous", Kaline said by June 1965.<ref name=Crazy>{{cite news|title=Al Kaline: "Crazy Toes"|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=f0pQAAAAIBAJ&dq=al%20kaline&pg=6550%2C504864|access-date=September 15, 2013|newspaper=[[Evening Independent]]|date=June 3, 1965}}</ref> Sportswriter Milton Gross described Kaline's deformed foot, saying, "The pinky and middle finger don't touch the ground. The fourth toe is stretched. The second and third are shortened. The first and third toes overlap the second and the fourth is beginning to overlap the big toe, which has begun to bend to the left. It is hard to believe, but for all of his career with the Tigers while he has been called the perfect player, Kaline has bordered on being a cripple."<ref name=Crazy/>

In [[1966 Detroit Tigers season|1966]], Kaline tied his career high with 29 home runs. In the summer of 1967, the normally calm Kaline broke a bone in his hand when he struck a baseball bat against a bat rack.<ref name="Hand">{{Cite news |date=1967-06-28 |title=Al Kaline Breaks Hand in Fit of Temper |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news-al-kaline-breaks-hand-in/164011872/ |access-date=2025-01-26 |work=[[The Miami News]] |page=29 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Kaline missed a month of play. When he returned, the Tigers were in a four-team pennant race, but the team finished the season one game behind the first place [[Boston Red Sox]].<ref name=Prince/>

Kaline missed two months of the [[1968 Detroit Tigers season|1968]] season with a [[Bone fracture|broken arm]], but he returned to the [[Batting order (baseball)|lineup]] when Tiger manager [[Mayo Smith]] benched [[shortstop]] [[Ray Oyler]] and sent center fielder [[Mickey Stanley]] to play shortstop to make room for Kaline in the outfield.<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Al Kaline">{{cite web|url=http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1902&pid=7253|title=The Baseball Biography Project: Al Kaline|last=Waddell|first=Nick|publisher=Society for American Baseball Research|access-date=May 3, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714071926/http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1902&pid=7253|archive-date=July 14, 2010}}</ref> [[ESPN]] later called Smith's move one of the ten greatest coaching decisions of the century.<ref>{{cite web |title=Greatest coaching decisions |url=https://www.espn.com/endofcentury/s/other/coaches.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717214921/http://espn.go.com/endofcentury/s/other/coaches.html |archive-date=July 17, 2011 |access-date=August 7, 2011 |website=ESPN}}</ref> In the [[1968 World Series]], the [[1968 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]] won three of the first four games of the series and were leading Game 5 by a score of 3–2 in the seventh inning, when Kaline hit a [[bases loaded]] [[Single (baseball)|single]] to drive in two [[Run (baseball)|runs]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1968 World Series Game 5 box score |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET196810070.shtml |access-date=December 26, 2013 |work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref> The Tigers won that game, and then won Game 6 in a blowout. Kaline had two hits, two runs scored and three RBI in the Tigers' 10-run third inning of Game 6. Detroit went on to win Game 7 for their first world championship since [[1945 Detroit Tigers season|1945]]. In his only World Series appearance, Kaline hit .379 with two home runs and eight RBIs in seven games.<ref>{{cite web |title=1968 World Series |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1968_WS.shtml |access-date=December 26, 2013 |work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref> For their victory, Kaline and his teammates each received bonus checks of $10,000 (at a time when Kaline's salary was "about $70,000").<ref name=Waldstein>{{cite news|last=Waldstein|first=David|title=Postseason Paychecks Are All About Sharing|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/05/sports/postseason-paychecks-are-all-about-sharing.html?ref=sports|access-date=October 5, 2014|issue=56645|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 5, 2014}}</ref>

The 1969 Tigers could not repeat the magic of their World Series triumph, as they won 90 games but still finished 19 games behind the [[Baltimore Orioles]] in the newly-formed American League East division. Kaline hit .272 with 21 home runs in 131 games. It was the last season of his career that he reached 20 homers.

===Final seasons===
In [[1970 Detroit Tigers season|1970]], Kaline sustained a freak, near-fatal injury in an outfield collision. In a game at [[Milwaukee]]'s [[County Stadium]] on May 30, against the [[Milwaukee Brewers]], Kaline collided with center fielder [[Jim Northrup (baseball)|Jim Northrup]] as they both pursued a fly ball. Kaline fell to the warning track and immediately began to choke; on impact, his jaw had gotten locked and his tongue obstructed his breathing. Alertly, left fielder [[Willie Horton (baseball)|Willie Horton]] rushed over and pried opened Kaline's mouth, clearing his airway and likely saving his life. Kaline was carried out on a stretcher and spent the night in hospital as a precaution. Later on, he said that he could not remember the incident.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dow |first1=Bill |date=June 20, 2020 |title=The time Detroit Tigers' Willie Horton saved Al Kaline's life after an outfield collision |url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2020/06/20/detroit-tigers-willie-horton-saved-al-kalines-life-outfield/3221374001/ |access-date=2025-01-26 |work=[[Detroit Free Press]]}}</ref>

After hitting .294 in [[1971 Detroit Tigers season|1971]], Kaline became the first Tiger to sign a $100,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|100000|1971}}}} in today's dollars) contract. He had turned down a pay raise from $95,000 to $100,000 the previous year, saying he did not feel like he deserved it after hitting .278 with 16 home runs in 1970.<ref name=erghthd>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JdszAAAAIBAJ&pg=6426%2C5657586 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=Oregon|agency=Associated Press |title=Detroit star accepts $100,000 contract |date=December 21, 1971 |page=3D}}</ref><ref name="Contract">{{cite news |date=December 20, 1971 |title=Al Kaline lands $100,000 contract |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rwswAAAAIBAJ&pg=5411,3408646 |access-date=2025-01-26 |newspaper=Toledo Blade |location=Ohio |via=Google News Archive |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Detroit contended all season for the [[1972 Detroit Tigers season|1972]] pennant, trailing the [[1972 Boston Red Sox season|Red Sox]] by a half-game before a series against them to end the regular season.<ref name=Sumter>{{cite news|title=Boston, Detroit start series for pennant|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2mkiAAAAIBAJ&pg=2282,60317 |newspaper=Sumter Daily Item|location=South Carolina|agency=Associated Press|date=October 2, 1972|page=11}}</ref> Kaline batted eight times in two games, registering five hits and three runs scored.<ref name="Retro1972">{{cite web |title=The 1972 DET A Regular Season Batting Log for Al Kaline |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1972/Ikalia1010201972.htm |access-date=October 31, 2013 |website=[[Retrosheet]]}}</ref> Detroit won those first two games and clinched the AL East pennant.<ref name="DET1972">{{cite web |title=The 1972 Detroit Tigers Regular Season Game Log |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1972/VDET01972.htm |access-date=October 31, 2013 |website=[[Retrosheet]]}}</ref><ref name="Out">{{Cite news |date=1972-10-06 |title=4 Managers Back, 2 Out |url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/title/ddpqgfjglptdrhjdbjgslefdorgvbvre_ip-10-166-46-186_1737928335176 |access-date=2025-01-26 |work=Milwaukee Journal |page=6 |via=[[GenealogyBank.com]]}}</ref> Kaline batted .313 in 106 games in 1972, topping .300 for the first time since 1967. The Tigers lost the [[1972 American League Championship Series]] to the [[1972 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]] that year after [[Reggie Jackson]] stole home in the decisive fifth game of the series.<ref name=Snyder>{{cite news|last=Snyder|first=Matt|title=VIDEO: When Reggie Jackson stole home in A's-Tigers ALCS game|url=http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24006546/video-when-reggie-jackson-stole-home-in-astigers-alcs-game|access-date=October 31, 2013|newspaper=[[CBS Sports]]|date=October 4, 2013}}</ref> In March [[1973 Detroit Lions season|1973]], Kaline won the [[Roberto Clemente Award]] in recognition of the honor he brought to baseball on and off the field.<ref name="Honored">{{cite news |date=March 21, 1973 |title=Al Kaline honored |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jfdUAAAAIBAJ&pg=6502,4645602 |newspaper=[[Leader-Post]] |location=Regina, Saskatchewan |page=30 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

On September 24, [[1974 Detroit Tigers season|1974]], Kaline became the 12th player in MLB history to reach the 3,000 hit milestone, when he hit a [[Double (baseball)|double]] off the Orioles' [[Dave McNally]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/3000_hit_club/kaline_al.htm|title=3,000 hit club at the Baseball Hall of Fame|publisher=Exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org|date=September 24, 1974|access-date=December 26, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725002953/http://exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/3000_hit_club/kaline_al.htm|archive-date=July 25, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=September 24, 1974 Tigers-Orioles box score at Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/boxscore/09241974.shtml |access-date=December 26, 2013 |work=[[Baseball Almanac]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=September 24, 1974 Tigers-Orioles box score |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL197409240.shtml |access-date=December 26, 2013 |work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref> After reaching the milestone, Kaline announced that he would retire at season's end.<ref name=Prince>{{cite news|title=Al Kaline: Prince of Detroit Reaches His Promised Land|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DkBSAAAAIBAJ&pg=7095,4035079|access-date=September 15, 2013|newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|date=September 25, 1974}}</ref> "I'm glad it's over. I really am. I don't think I'll miss it. I may miss spring training", Kaline said after his last game on October 3, 1974.<ref name=Ottawa>{{cite news|title=Al Kaline finishes great career in dugout|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=La4yAAAAIBAJ&pg=925,1037408|access-date=September 16, 2013|newspaper=[[Ottawa Citizen]]|date=October 3, 1974}}</ref> In his final major league season, he was used exclusively as a designated hitter, batting .262 with 13 home runs.

Kaline finished his career with 3,007&nbsp;hits (then 11th on the all-time list, currently 32nd), 498 doubles, 75 triples, 399 home runs (still a Tigers record as of 2024 and currently 58th on the all-time list), 1,622 runs scored, 1,277 bases on balls, and 1,582 RBIs (currently 44th on the all-time list).<ref name=br_stats/> He batted over .300 nine times in his career to finish with a lifetime batting average of .297 and hit 25 or more home runs seven times in his career.<ref name=br_stats/> Kaline also holds Tiger career records for games played (2,834), walks (1,277), and sacrifice flies (104).<ref>{{cite web |title=Detroit Tigers Top 10 Career Batting Leaders |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/DET/leaders_bat.shtml |access-date=April 6, 2020 |work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref> He had more walks than strikeouts (1,020). Kaline was a good [[pinch hitter]] in his career, batting .311 (37-for-119) in that capacity with two home runs and 23 RBI.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kalinal01-bat.shtml|title=Al Kaline Situational Batting at Baseball Reference|website=baseball-reference.com|accessdate= June 23, 2024}}</ref> His highest season strikeout total came in his final season, with 75. Prior to that, Kaline never struck out more than 66 times in a season. Among position players, Kaline ranks 29th all-time (15th among outfielders) in Wins Against Replacement (WAR) with a career mark of 92.8.<ref>{{cite web |title=Career Leaders & Records for WAR Position Players |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/WAR_bat_career.shtml |access-date=July 8, 2020 |website=Baseball Reference}}</ref>

Defensively, Kaline finished his career with an overall .987 [[fielding percentage]].<ref name="br_stats"/> In his first full season (1954), he recorded 16 outfield assists, including three in one game (July 7 against the [[Chicago White Sox]]).<ref>{{cite web |last=Myers |first=Gene |date=July 7, 2019 |title=65 years ago today, Al Kaline did something amazing for the Detroit Tigers |url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2019/07/07/al-kaline-detroit-tigers/1656757001/ |access-date=November 17, 2020 |website=Detroit Free Press}}</ref> He recorded 84 outfield assists between 1954 and 1958, posting a career-high 23 in 1958. After that season, baserunners rarely tested his arm, and his assist numbers dropped.

==Honors==
{{MLBBioRet
|Image  = Kaline_DET.png
|Name   = Al Kaline
|Number = 6
|Team   = Detroit Tigers
|Year   = 1980
}}
Kaline was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in [[1980 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1980]], becoming the tenth player in history to be inducted in his first year of eligibility.<ref name=hof_bio/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=145|title=Al Kaline – the Detroit Tigers' 'Mr. Perfection'|access-date=December 26, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130703185506/http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=145|archive-date=July 3, 2013}}</ref> He was named on 340 of the 385 ballots (88.3%) cast by sportswriters. Kaline and [[Duke Snider]] were the only candidates elected by the sportswriters in 1980. Kaline later said, "I really never thought I would choose an individual thing that happened just to me over a team thing like the World Series. But I would have to say this is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me."<ref>[[#Hawkins|Hawkins]], pp. 239-240.</ref>

Kaline was honored by the Tigers as the first of their players to have his uniform number (6) [[retired number|retired]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Detroit Tigers retired numbers at mlb.com |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/det/history/retired_numbers.jsp |access-date=December 26, 2013 |work=[[MLB.com]]}}</ref> Versatile and well-rounded, he won ten [[Gold Glove Award]]s (1957–59 and 1961–67) for excellence in the field and appeared in the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] game 15 times (1955–67, 1971, 1974).<ref name=br_stats/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/gold_glove_nl.shtml#1957|title=Gold Glove Award winners|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=December 26, 2013}}</ref>

In 1999, Kaline was ranked number 76 on ''[[The Sporting News]]'' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players,<ref>{{cite news|title=Baseball's 100 Greatest Players: No. 76, Al Kaline |work=[[The Sporting News]]|date=April 26, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041103160727/http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-76.html |archive-date=November 3, 2004 |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-76.html}}</ref> and was nominated as a finalist for the [[Major League Baseball All-Century Team]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_history_moreinfo.jsp|title=Al Kaline at The Major League Baseball All-Century Team|work=[[MLB.com]]|date=May 24, 2013|access-date=December 26, 2013}}</ref> In 2020, ''[[The Athletic]]'' ranked Kaline at number 51 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriter [[Joe Posnanski]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Posnanski |first1=Joe |title=The Baseball 100: No. 51, Al Kaline |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1568128/2020/02/05/the-baseball-100-no-51-al-kaline/ |magazine=[[The Athletic]] |date=February 5, 2020}}</ref>

In 2022, as part of their SN Rushmore project, ''[[The Sporting News]]'' named Kaline on their "Detroit Mount Rushmore of Sports", along with [[Detroit Red Wings]] hockey player [[Gordie Howe]], [[Detroit Lions]] football player [[Barry Sanders]], and [[Detroit Pistons]] basketball player [[Isiah Thomas]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bender |first1=Bill |title=Detroit's Mount Rushmore of Sports: Gordie Howe, Barry Sanders, Al Kaline, Isiah Thomas voted best of the best |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/detroits-mount-rushmore-gordie-howe-al-kaline-isiah-thomas-barry-sanders/svo1hjvjngcukz01iwbphnje |work=[[The Sporting News]] |date=July 28, 2022}}</ref>

Cherry Street, which ran behind the left-field stands at [[Tiger Stadium (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium]], was renamed Kaline Drive in his honor in 1970.<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Al Kaline"/> On September 27, 1999, when Detroit played its last game at Tiger Stadium against the [[Kansas City Royals]], Kaline was invited to appear in uniform and present the last lineup card to the umpires. He did so along with [[George Brett]], former [[Kansas City Royals]]' great and fellow Hall of Famer.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dow|first=Bill|title=When Tiger Stadium closed, Detroit lost a piece of its soul|date=September 27, 2019|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2019/09/27/tiger-stadium-close-in-detroit/2427956001/|access-date=April 7, 2020}}</ref>

Kaline was regarded as a well-rounded player by his contemporaries. [[Baltimore Orioles]] third baseman [[Brooks Robinson]] said of him, "There have been a lot of great defensive players. The fella who could do everything is Al Kaline. He was just the epitome of what a great outfielder is all about – great speed, catches the ball and throws the ball well."<ref name=hof_bio/> Manager [[Billy Martin]] once said, "I have always referred to Al Kaline as 'Mister Perfection'. He does it all — hitting, fielding, running, throwing — and he does it with that extra touch of brilliancy that marks him as a super ballplayer... Al fits in anywhere, at any position in the lineup and any spot in the batting order."<ref>[[#Hawkins|Hawkins]], p. 225.</ref>

The [[1993 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]] was dedicated to Kaline on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of [[Baltimore|his hometown]]'s [[1958 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|only other Midsummer Classic]]. Kaline, along with [[Leon Day]] and former [[Baltimore Orioles]] star [[Brooks Robinson]], threw out the [[ceremonial first pitch]] to end the pregame ceremonies. Kaline's ceremonial first pitch was caught by future Detroit Tiger [[Ivan Rodriguez]], who was starting his All-Star debut.

==Post-playing career==
[[File:Al Kaline 1995.jpg|thumb|Kaline in 1995]]

After his playing career, Kaline lived in the [[Detroit]] area, also maintaining a house in Florida, and he remained active within the Tigers organization, serving first as a [[color commentator]] on the team's television broadcasts (1975–2002) mostly with play by play announcer and former Tiger and fellow Hall of Famer [[George Kell]], and then later as a consultant to the team.<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Al Kaline"/> Starting in 2003, Kaline served as a special assistant to Tigers President/CEO/General Manager [[Dave Dombrowski]],<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Al Kaline"/> and his duties included coaching/mentoring outfielders during [[spring training]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gage |first=Tom |date=2011-02-23 |title=Kaline commands attention |url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/title/egbkkskejornfpqmshjbgmfirszgqmsu_ip-10-166-46-82_1737930126907 |access-date=2025-01-26 |work=Detroit News |page=B5 |via=[[GenealogyBank.com]]}}</ref> Former Tigers teammate Willie Horton also holds this position, and the two threw out the first pitch of the [[2006 World Series]] at [[Comerica Park]].<ref name="The Baseball Biography Project: Al Kaline"/> Kaline continued in his assistant role until his death in 2020. His 67 years with one team was one of the longest tenures in MLB history.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bradburn|first=Michael|title=Al Kaline, 'Mr. Tiger,' dies at 85|date=April 6, 2020|work=The Score|url=https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/1969086/al-kaline-mr-tiger-dies-at-85|access-date=April 7, 2020}}</ref>

Because of his lengthy career and longtime association with the Tigers organization, Kaline's nickname was "Mr. Tiger."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20100325&content_id=8922348&vkey=pr_det&fext=.jsp&c_id=det|title=Six: A Salute to Al Kaline|date=March 25, 2010|publisher=Detroit Tigers|work=[[MLB.com]]|access-date=August 7, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615103616/http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20100325&content_id=8922348&vkey=pr_det&fext=.jsp&c_id=det|archive-date=June 15, 2011}}</ref> Kaline's grandson [[Colin Kaline]] was selected by the Tigers in the 25th round of the [[2007 Major League Baseball draft|2007 MLB draft]]. He did not sign, choosing to play baseball at [[Florida Southern College]].<ref>[[#Hawkins|Hawkins]], p. 248.</ref> The team drafted him again in the [[2011 Major League Baseball draft|2011 MLB draft]], this time in the 26th round. He played in the low minor leagues with the Detroit organization in 2011–12.<ref name="America">{{cite web |title=Colin Kaline, 3b, Tigers |url=https://www.baseballamerica.com/statistics/players/cards/94678 |access-date=February 2, 2014 |work=[[Baseball America]]}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Kaline married his high school sweetheart, Madge Louise Hamilton, in 1954. He had two sons, Mark Albert Kaline (b. August 21, 1957) and Michael Keith Kaline (b. 1962).<ref name="SABR">{{cite web |last=Waddell |first=Nick |title=Al Kaline |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/a141b60c |access-date=April 7, 2020 |work=[[SABR]]}}</ref> Michael played college baseball at [[Miami University]] and was the father of Colin Kaline, who had a short Minor League career and was a college coach.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Neumann |first=Thomas |date=August 9, 2011 |title=Al Kaline throws ceremonial first pitch to grandson Colin |url=http://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story/_/id/6846924/al-kaline-throws-ceremonial-first-pitch-grandson-colin |access-date=April 6, 2020 |website=[[ESPN]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Colin Kaline Minor Leagues Statistics & History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=kaline001col |access-date=April 6, 2020 |work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]}}</ref>

Kaline died in his home in [[Bloomfield Hills, Michigan]], on April 6, 2020; the cause of death was not reported.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2020/04/06/al-kaline-dies-detroit-tigers/505371001|title=Tigers legend Al Kaline dies at age 85|date=April 6, 2020|last=Lowe|first=John|publisher=[[Detroit Free Press]]|work=freep.com|access-date=April 6, 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Gold Glove Award winners at outfield]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball batting champions]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career doubles leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career total bases leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball retired numbers]]
* [[List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

===Book sources===
*{{cite book |last1=Hawkins |first1=Jim |title=Al Kaline: The Biography of a Tigers Icon |date=2013 |publisher=Triumph Books |isbn=978-1600788239 |url=https://archive.org/details/alkalinebiograph0000hawk |ref=Hawkins}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{baseballstats|mlb=116822|espn=23542|br=k/kalinal01|fangraphs=1006678|brm=kaline001alb|retro=K/Pkalia101}}
*{{Baseball Hall of Fame profile|kaline-al}}
*{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|a141b60c}}

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