Remember that Baseball Bat you used as a kid? That was the Al Kaline bat, and the man known as “Al Kaline, a Detroit Tiger great”, died on Monday(Check out the Al Kaline baseball bat)

It was either a 32 or a 34 and it sure wasn’t a 28, but that baseball bat you used to use as a kid, that was probably at one time or another, an Al Kaline bat, and the man that made those Al Kaline bats and those Al Kaline gloves famous, it was the Detroit Tigers’ outfielder and Mr. Kaline was “Mr. Tiger”, and he played his entire major baseball career for the Detroit Tigers…

I can still see his name on those bats and his name signed in those baseball gloves….It seemed like with the Al Kaline bat, you could hit the fall farther and hit the ball harder, with the Al Kaline glove, you knew where the ‘sweet spot’ was in that glove, and you had to make that you didn’t like that hard fastball hit the part of the glove where the palm of your hand was sitting, or you would get burned up…The key was letting the pocket of that Al Kaline Spalding glove do the work….

He’s might be gone, but with a name that could be identified with an Everyready alkaline battery, this man really never slowed down….

They said Al Kaline died from a stroke, but his stroke is what made this man famous during his 22-year with the Detroit Tigers….

Al was there back in 1968(Detroit Tigers 1968 World Series Champions, defeating Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals) with Denny McClain and Mickey Lolich, and Norm Cash, and the main man Bill Freehan, how many people can still bring up the name of that old Tigers’ catcher Bill Freehan…And there was Jim Northrup…Man that Tigers team was loaded with talent….And Al Kaline, was the Best Of Them All….

He was the man….

Al Kaline had one of the smoothest strokes/swings that you will ever see, and he could still kill the ball…He is one of baseball’s all-time greats and he is no longer with us, but this heavy hitter, and super smooth outfielder, will never be forgotten….

RIP-Al Kaline….Gone on April 6, 2020 at the age of 85 years old…Thank-you Al Kaline for the memories, and you made the game of baseball look easy….At least it was easy for you, since you were one of the all-time greats…..

from www.espn.com:

Al Kaline, a Hall of Famer who played all 22 years of his career in Detroit, earning the nickname “Mr. Tiger,”? died Monday, a team official confirmed to ESPN. Kaline was 85.

Kaline, an All-Star in 15 seasons and a 10-time Gold Glove winner in right field, retired shortly after recording his 3,000th hit in 1974 and joined the Tigers’ broadcasting team. He continued to work for the Tigers after his retirement from the booth in 2002.

He became the first Tiger to have his number retired, with the “No. 6” by which he was known in the clubhouse going up on the walls in 1980. He was also elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame that year, his first on the ballot.

“Baseball lost a titan today,” Tigers chairman and CEO Christopher Ilitch said in a statement. “Anyone who knew Al Kaline would describe his gentle soul and passion for baseball as an unbelievably powerful combination, making him one of the most respected players in Major League Baseball history.”

One thought on “Remember that Baseball Bat you used as a kid? That was the Al Kaline bat, and the man known as “Al Kaline, a Detroit Tiger great”, died on Monday(Check out the Al Kaline baseball bat)

  1. Talking about us hitting the ball right there on the button….Yes, check this out…

    https://twitter.com/jabbottum31

    from Jim Abbott on Twitter…
    Here is what Jim Abbott was saying on Twitter and be sure to Click On above to see the bat…A nice touch….
    Jim Abbott
    @jabbottum31
    ·
    20h
    I’ve treasured this since Little League when it arrived along with a personal handwritten note of encouragement. The classiest of men and a hero in Michigan. RIP Mr. Kaline

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