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mchenrycards
Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
A photo of any ball player, out cold at the plate is a jarring image but when one realizes the photo is of baseball great, Al Kaline of the Detroit Tigers one has to sit up and take notice.
On a cold fall September day in 1958, Detroit’s Tigers visited Chicago’s old Comisky Park in a game that had zero meaning on the American League standings. As usual, the New York Yankees would go on to take the league Pennant with a ten game lead over the White Sox and avenge their loss to the Milwaukee Braves in the World Series the previous season. In the sixth inning Kaline would go to the plate against Chicago’s big right hander Bob Shaw when he would take a high and tight fastball to the back of the head. Fortunately, Kaline was wearing a batting helmet and would only miss one game due to the beaning.
One interesting note is that batting helmets were not mandated in the American League until the start of the 1958 baseball season. Previously, teams experimented with protective headgear but it was not until the League passed the rule in March, 1958 that mandated all batters were to wear a helmet when batting. One can only wonder how much different Al Kaline’s career might have been if the American League mandate on helmets was not in place before the 1958 season started. A promising career may have been cut short and Kaline may only be a footnote in Detroit Tiger history instead of the Hall of Fame outfielder we know him to be today.
In this photo we see Kaline out cold as plate umpire Charlie Berry looks on. The Tigers would go on to win the game with a score of 7-1 with Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning winning his 14th of the year with a complete game.
On a cold fall September day in 1958, Detroit’s Tigers visited Chicago’s old Comisky Park in a game that had zero meaning on the American League standings. As usual, the New York Yankees would go on to take the league Pennant with a ten game lead over the White Sox and avenge their loss to the Milwaukee Braves in the World Series the previous season. In the sixth inning Kaline would go to the plate against Chicago’s big right hander Bob Shaw when he would take a high and tight fastball to the back of the head. Fortunately, Kaline was wearing a batting helmet and would only miss one game due to the beaning.
One interesting note is that batting helmets were not mandated in the American League until the start of the 1958 baseball season. Previously, teams experimented with protective headgear but it was not until the League passed the rule in March, 1958 that mandated all batters were to wear a helmet when batting. One can only wonder how much different Al Kaline’s career might have been if the American League mandate on helmets was not in place before the 1958 season started. A promising career may have been cut short and Kaline may only be a footnote in Detroit Tiger history instead of the Hall of Fame outfielder we know him to be today.
In this photo we see Kaline out cold as plate umpire Charlie Berry looks on. The Tigers would go on to win the game with a score of 7-1 with Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning winning his 14th of the year with a complete game.
