Ty Cobb: Biography, Stats, Facts

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Tyrus Raymond “Ty” Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961) was a Hall of Fame baseball player for the Detroit Tigers, widely hailed by critics as one of the greatest players of his era. At the end of his career, he would finish with 90 Major League Baseball records, including 4,191 hits, 3,034 games, 11 batting titles, and 271 errors. In 1911, he earned the MVP honors with a record .420 batting average, leading the league in runs, hits, slugging, total bases, stolen bases, doubles and OPS. His fame as a player is only surpassed by his infamy as a character, often depicted by historians as a surly, pugnacious man with a violent style both on and off the field.

Hell’s Legend is Born

Cobb was born in Narrows, Georgia, the first of three children to Amanda Chitwood Cobb and William Herschel Cobb. As a youngster he developed his aggressive style, practicing his slide until his legs went numb and running around in weighted boots. He was tenacious and relentless, possessing the kind of savage spirit born from the womb, like a baby flagellating his mother with his own umbilical cord. Ty Cobb, after all, was a madman, a hellion, rotten to the core from conception. It was a reflection of his father, a schoolmaster and hard disciplinarian, whose jealousy over his wife’s perceived infidelity led to a fatal shooting accident when Cobb was only nineteen. Three weeks later, Cobb was called up to the majors. Dedicating his playing style to his late father, Cobb would grow to become one of the fiercest competitors in all of sport.

The Swashbuckling Despot

“In legend I am a sadistic, slashing, swashbuckling despot who waged war in the guise of sport.”
In his first full season, Cobb led the league in batting(.350), hits(212), RBIs(119) and total bases(283), and racked up 53 stolen bases, exemplifying both his prowess as a hitter and a base thief. He would go on to win the slugging title eight times and the stolen base crown six. Jealousy and spite over his ability led many of the veteran players to alienate him in the clubhouse, hardening Cobb into what he calls a feral, “snarling wildcat.” Nicknamed “The Georgia Peach” in what can only be an ironic slander campaign against peaches and the state of Georgia, Cobb’s irascible anger would spill into racial matters as well, engaging in fisticuffs with a black groundskeeper and choking his wife when she attempted to intervene. Cobb even slapped a black elevator operator once for being “uppity.” When a black night watchman stepped in between the two, Cobb revealed a knife and stabbed him. Indiscriminate in his loathing, Cobb’s ruthless vitriol spread to religion(Catholics), geography(Northerners), and everyone who wasn’t him.

Consecutive .400 Seasons, Consecutive Suspensions

Cobb’s baseball prowess and violent behavior continued into his later years. He became the first player to have successive .400 seasons, batting .420 in 1911 and .409 in 1912. His most famous hit didn’t come in the batter’s box, however, but in the stands. Incensed by the taunting heckles of New York fan named Claude Lueker, Cobb stormed into the stands and unleashed a fury of four-hit combos, hitting for the cycle of punches, kicks, stomps and beat downs. The heckler was unable to parry due to the fact that he was unarmed, having lost his arms in a workplace accident. The incident left his face damaged and in a bulbous and unrecognizable lump of flesh. “I don’t care if he got no feet!” Cobb would say in response. He was suspended by the league for 10 days. That year he would be suspended an additional 10 days for a player’s strike, one that lasted only one game after Cobb implored the other players to end it. The incident, however, led to the formation of a player’s union, which garnered some concessions and is credited as a catalyst for the formation of the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Post Career and Stock Market Millions

Unlike the hedonistic lifestyle of his nemesis, Babe Ruth, Cobb lived economically and culturally as a type of ascetic. He invested his earnings heavily in General Motors and Coca-Cola stock, and by his retirement he was already a millionaire. He would move to a wealthy community in Atherton, California, where his tempestuous demeanor would unleash his wrath upon his family. He was divorced twice. He smoked and drank and whined about the fundamentals of current players. He whipped and flogged his son for flunking out of Princeton, eventually becoming estranged from his namesake permanently. Two of his three sons would die young. In 1936, Cobb would find some solace in being elected to the Hall of Fame, receiving a record 222 of 226 votes. He donated to hospitals and foundations, and returned to Atlanta. He attempted to rewrite his legacy through memoirs and biographies. In 1959 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He would die two years later.

Legacy

Ty Cobb was a drunkard, a racist, and one hell of a baseball player. The pock-marked score sheets, the tattered uniforms and baseball cards tell the story of a flawed individual who never stopped hustling, never stopped being aggressive, much to his detriment, waging war on the field and in life. A devilman, a man’s man, Cobb’s life will be forever tainted by a miasma of mythology and fact, a larger than life figure who represents everything sick, twisted, and beautiful about the human condition.

Resources about Ty Cobb

Hall of Fame induction of Ty Cobb
The Life and times of Ty Cobb
Pictures of Ty Cobb

Resource by T.Price

I am a mom of 2 boys who loves to spend time with them doing fun things outdoors. In my spare time I have my own things I enjoy doing such as gardening, reading old books, and being a closet history buff.

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