Albert William Kaline (pronounced KAY-line; December 19, 1934 – April 6, 2020), nicknamed "Mr. Tiger," was an American professional baseball player who spent his entire 22-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Detroit Tigers. For most of his career, Kaline played in the outfield, primarily as a right fielder. He won ten Gold Glove Awards and was known for his strong throwing arm. He was chosen for 18 All-Star Games, including every year from 1955 to 1967. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980 during his first year of eligibility.

Toward the end of his career, Kaline also played as a first baseman and, in his final season, served as the Tigers' designated hitter. He retired shortly after reaching the 3,000 hit milestone in the 1974 season. After retiring, he became the Tigers' TV color commentator, a role he held from 1975 until 2002. Kaline worked for the Tigers as a front office assistant from 2003 until his death in 2020.

Early life

Kaline was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, to Naomi (Morgan) and Nicholas Kaline. His family faced financial challenges. Some of his relatives played baseball at a semi-professional level, but none in the family had completed high school. At age eight, Kaline developed a serious bone infection and had two inches of bone removed from his left foot. The surgery caused scarring and a lasting physical change, but he became an excellent pitcher in youth baseball. By nine years old, he could throw a fastball, changeup, and curveball.

Kaline attended Southern High School in Baltimore, where he was a top player in basketball and played football until he got hurt on his cheek. When he tried out for the baseball team, there were no spots left for pitchers, so Kaline switched to playing in the outfield. He received all-state honors in baseball for four years. Kaline described himself as a poor student, but his teachers liked him and allowed him to pass classes, believing he would become a professional baseball player.

Professional career

At the time Kaline signed his contract, Major League Baseball's bonus rule was still in place. This rule required teams that signed players with a signing bonus over $4,000 (equivalent to $58,000 today) to keep the player on their 25-man active roster for two full seasons. If a team failed to follow this rule, they would lose the player's contract, and the player would become available for other teams to claim.

Kaline received a bonus of $15,000 ($216,000 today), which allowed him to skip the minor leagues and join the Detroit Tigers directly from high school. Ed Katalinas, a Detroit scout who followed Kaline during 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."

Kaline made his major league debut on June 25, 1953, in Philadelphia as a late-inning replacement for outfielder Jim Delsing. He wore number 25 during his rookie season but later asked teammate Pat Mullin for his number 6 after Mullin retired in 1953. Kaline wore number 6 for the rest of his career.

In 1955, at age 20, Kaline finished the season with a .340 batting average, becoming the youngest player ever to win the American League batting title. No 20-year-old had won a batting title since Ty Cobb in 1907. During the 1955 season, Kaline became the 13th player in major league history to hit two home runs in the same inning, the youngest to hit three home runs in one game, and finished the year with 200 hits, 27 home runs, and 102 RBIs. 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 1955 AL Most Valuable Player voting. He was selected to the All-Star Game, the first of many consecutive selections that continued through 1967.

In 1956, Kaline had a .314 batting average, 27 home runs, and a career-high 128 RBIs, finishing third in the AL MVP voting. He led the league in outfield assists with 18 in 1956 and again in 1958 with 23. In 1957, he won his first of ten Gold Glove Awards over the next eleven seasons. Kaline missed several games in 1958 after being hit by a pitch and in 1959 after being hit by a thrown ball, which caused a cheekbone fracture. He missed only 18 games in 1959 and finished the season with a .327 batting average and 27 home runs. He also led the AL in slugging percentage (.530) and OPS (.940). By his 26th birthday, Kaline had 1,200 hits, the third-highest total by a 25-year-old player in MLB history, behind Ty Cobb (1,433) and Mel Ott (1,249).

After Harvey Kuenn left the team, Kaline played the entire 1960 season in center field, the only time he did so during his career. In 1961, the Tigers acquired Bill Bruton from the Milwaukee Braves to play center field, allowing Kaline to return to right field.

In 1961, Kaline led the majors with 41 doubles and hit .324, finishing second in the AL batting race (behind teammate Norm Cash). The Tigers won 101 games, the third-highest win total in team history, but finished eight games behind the New York Yankees, who were led by Roger Maris (61 home runs) and Mickey Mantle (54 home runs). Kaline started the 1962 season with a .345 batting average, 13 home runs, and 38 RBIs in 35 games. On May 26, he broke his collarbone while making a game-ending catch against New York's Elston Howard. He missed 57 games due to the injury, and Detroit struggled to compete for a pennant during his absence. When healthy, Kaline hit a career-high 29 home runs and drove in 94 runs in 100 games.

By late March 1963, Kaline said he felt good and was hitting .373 in 53 spring training at-bats. In the 1963 regular season, he hit .312 with 27 home runs and 101 RBIs, finishing second to Elston Howard in the AL MVP voting. Kaline experienced pain in his left foot, which had been affected by osteomyelitis as a child, throughout the 1964 season. His batting average dropped to .293 that year. He tried to ignore the pain, but doctors thought he had gout and gave him injections.

Kaline continued to feel pain the following season and saw an orthopedic surgeon who prescribed corrective shoes. "I feel so much better than I did before, that it's ridiculous," Kaline said in June 1965. Sportswriter Milton Gross described Kaline's deformed foot, noting that his pinky and middle finger did not touch the ground, and his toes were misaligned. Despite this, Kaline remained a key player for the Tigers.

In 1966, Kaline tied his career high with 29 home runs. In 1967, Kaline broke a bone in his hand after striking a baseball bat against a bat rack. He missed a month of play. When he returned, the Tigers were in a four-team pennant race but finished one game behind the first-place Boston Red Sox.

Kaline missed two months of the 1968 season with a broken arm. Tiger manager Mayo Smith made a key decision to move shortstop Ray Oyler to shortstop and send center fielder Mickey Stanley to shortstop, making room for Kaline in the outfield. ESPN later called this one of the ten greatest coaching decisions of the century. In the 1968 World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals led Game 5 by 3–2 in the seventh inning when Kaline hit a bases-loaded single to drive in two runs. The Tigers won Game 5 and Game 6, with Kaline contributing two hits, two runs scored, and three RBIs in Game 6's 10-run third inning. Detroit won Game 7 for their first world championship since 1945. In his only World Series appearance, Kaline hit .379 with two home runs and eight RBIs in seven games.

In 1969, Kaline missed part of the season due to injury. In 1970, he hit .278 with 16 home runs. In

Honors

Al Kaline was chosen for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980. He became the tenth player in history to be inducted in his first year of eligibility. He received votes from 340 of the 385 ballots (88.3%) cast by sportswriters. Kaline and Duke Snider were the only players chosen by sportswriters in 1980. Kaline later said, "I never thought I would prefer a personal achievement over a team event like the World Series. But I must say this is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me."

The Tigers honored Kaline by retiring his uniform number (6), making him the first player from the team to have his number retired. He was a versatile and skilled player, winning ten Gold Glove Awards (1957–59 and 1961–67) for his fielding ability. He appeared in the All-Star game 15 times (1955–67, 1971, 1974).

In 1999, Kaline was ranked number 76 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. He was also nominated as a top candidate for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. In 2020, The Athletic ranked Kaline number 51 on its "Baseball 100" list, compiled by sportswriter Joe Posnanski.

In 2022, The Sporting News included Kaline on its "Detroit Mount Rushmore of Sports" list, along with Detroit Red Wings hockey player Gordie Howe, Detroit Lions football player Barry Sanders, and Detroit Pistons basketball player Isiah Thomas.

Cherry Street, which was behind the left-field stands at Tiger Stadium, was renamed Kaline Drive in his honor in 1970. On September 27, 1999, when Detroit played its final game at Tiger Stadium against the Kansas City Royals, Kaline wore his uniform and gave the last lineup card to the umpires. He did so with George Brett, a former Kansas City Royals player and Hall of Famer.

Kaline was known as a well-rounded player by his peers. Brooks Robinson, a third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, said, "There have been many great defensive players. The player who could do everything is Al Kaline. He was the perfect example of a great outfielder — fast, catches the ball well, and throws the ball well." Manager Billy Martin once said, "I always called Al Kaline 'Mister Perfection.' He does everything — hitting, fielding, running, and throwing — and he does it with a special brilliance that makes him a top player. Al fits in anywhere in the lineup or batting order."

The 1993 Major League Baseball All-Star Game honored Kaline on the 35th anniversary of his hometown's only other All-Star Game. Kaline, along with Leon Day and Brooks Robinson, threw the ceremonial first pitch to end the pregame ceremonies. Kaline's pitch was caught by Ivan Rodriguez, a future Detroit Tiger who was making his All-Star debut.

Post-playing career

After his playing career, Kaline lived in the Detroit area and also owned a home in Florida. He stayed involved with the Tigers organization, first working as a color commentator on the team's television broadcasts from 1975 to 2002, often partnering with play-by-play announcer George Kell, a former Tiger and Hall of Famer. Later, he served as a consultant to the team. Beginning in 2003, Kaline worked as a special assistant to Tigers President/CEO/General Manager Dave Dombrowski. His responsibilities included coaching and mentoring outfielders during spring training. Former Tigers teammate Willie Horton held the same position, and both Kaline and Horton threw the first pitch of the 2006 World Series at Comerica Park. Kaline remained in his assistant role until his death in 2020. His 67-year career with the Tigers was one of the longest in Major League Baseball history.

Kaline earned the nickname "Mr. Tiger" because of his long career and strong connection to the Tigers organization. His grandson, Colin Kaline, was drafted by the Tigers in the 25th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. He did not sign with the team and instead played college baseball at Florida Southern College. The Tigers drafted him again in the 26th round of the 2011 MLB draft. Colin played in the lower-level minor leagues with the Detroit organization during 2011 and 2012.

Personal life

Kaline married his high school sweetheart, Madge Louise Hamilton, in 1954. He had two sons: Mark Albert Kaline, born August 21, 1957, and Michael Keith Kaline, born in 1962. Michael played baseball at Miami University. He was the father of Colin Kaline, who had a short minor league career and became a college coach.

Kaline died in his home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, on April 6, 2020. The cause of his death was not reported.