To this point in the season, Detroit’s long-time star, Al Kaline, had been played sparingly by second-year skipper Billy Martin.
For much of his career in the Motor City, Kaline had been hampered by injuries: chronic injuries that limited his production, especially as his many seasons in the majors accumulated; and catastrophic injuries, the broken bones in 1962¹ and 1967,² which interrupted what would, likely, have been his two most statistically successful seasons and, even more likely, cost Detroit a pennant or two.
Detroit needed its superstar right fielder healthy and ready to play down the stretch in 1972. Billy Martin needed his number three hitter healthy and ready to produce.
To this end, Kaline well rested, Martin playing Al in only 96 of the teams 144 games. And, in those games Kaline did play, Al often was a late inning replacement, or a starter told by manager Martin to hit the showers early.
So, Kaline had no excuses.
And, Al would offer no excuses.
At the beginning of play on September 21, Kaline’s slash for the season was pedestrian for a journeyman ballplayer, let alone a future Hall of Famer. His .278/.349/.405 with 6 HR, 24 RBI, and 31 Runs scored was below his expectations, Martin’s wants, and the team’s needs.
Then, beginning on September 21, Al Kaline had a ten-game hitting streak to close out the 1972 season. Detroit began that 12-game stretch (Kaline sat out two games, both losses for Detroit) 1 GB of Boston. Over his 10-game streak, Detroit went 8 – 2, finishing half a game ahead of the Red Sox.
Over his streak, Al had 21 Hits in 41 AB, slashing .512/.523/.878, with 4 HR, 8 RBI, 15 Runs scored, and 36 Total Bases.³ At season’s end, Kaline’s slash was .313/.374/.475.
Kaline’s and Detroit’s World Series hopes were defeated when Oakland took the AL Championship 3 games to 2 in playoff’s first round that post season. But, Kaline’s 10-game, 1972 season-ending hitting streak still stands as one of the best clutch pennant performances in MLB history.
Before he was “Mr. Tiger,” Al Kaline was not just a superstar in right for the Detroit Tigers, he was the best right fielder in Major League Baseball, bar none.
On May 26, 1962, in Detroit’s 36th game, Al was leading the majors with 49 Hits, 13 HR, 38 RBI, and a .336 BA (a .401 OBP and a .671 SLG. completed his slash) when he broke his collarbone diving to catch Elston Howard’s dying liner in the bottom of the 9th. That catch preserved Detroit’s 1-run win and sidelined Major League Baseball’s best right fielder for the next 62 games. Kaline returned in late July and played in another 38 games. In those 100 games he played, Al had 29 HR, 94 RBI, 78 Runs scored, and a slash of .304/.376/.593. Those 100-game HR and RBI totals over 162 would be, 47 and 152. His 162-game totals using his league-leading numbers before his injury would be: 221 Hits, 59 HR, 171 RBI. At the end of play on May 26, Detroit stood at 19 – 17, 3 GB of Cleveland and New York. When Al returned on July 23, Detroit was 45 – 48, 10.5 GB of the Yankees. With Kaline back, Detroit rallied with a 40 – 26 record, but, it was too late to catch NY, who finished 10.5 games up on Detroit.
After striking out for the second time in three at bats against Cleveland’s Sudden Sam McDowell, Kaline took his frustrations out on Detroit’s water cooler, breaking his hand, and causing him to miss the next 27 games. At the end of play that day, Kaline slashed .328/.417/.574 with 77 Hits (183 over 162 games), 51 Runs (122 over 162), 15 HR (36 over 162), and 53 RBI (126 over 162). The 1967 season’s end saw Yaz with a league-leading slash of .326/.418/.622. His 44 HR and 121 RBI completed his Triple Crown, MVP season. Yaz also led in Runs with 112 and Hits with 189. Boston beat Detroit by a game in the 1967 AL pennant race.
Over a 162 game season, those numbers would be: 340 Hits in 664 At Bats, 65 HR, 130 RBI, 243 Runs scored, and 583 Total Bases. Al also struck out 3 times in those 10 games—49 K in 162—and he hit 3 2B—also 49 in 162. His OPS was 1.4
