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The almanac for the 1910s examines Ty Cobb, his dark side as well as his great accomplishments
The 1910s Detroit Tiger Almanac is bursting with Cobb's accomplishments... batting titles, power, steals... pretty much the best baseball player of all time up to that time, but this decade would prove to be transitional, especially toward its end.
Baseball was changing... sluggers such as Babe Ruth were appearing and it was clear that chicks love the long ball (did they say that then?)... along with a lot of other fans! With the Black Sox Scandal ramping up at the end of the decade, efforts were made to "clean up" the game- changing the ball often rather than using the same one for an entire game... outlawing of the spitball... these things made for a much different game than the "inside baseball" of the old days. The 'teens were the end of that era and things would never be the same... so the almanac will take a close look at them!
| Year | Finish | W | L | Pct | GB | Manager | Attendance | |
| 1910 | Third | 86 | 68 | 558 | 18 | Hughie Jennings | 391,288 | |
| 1911 | Second | 89 | 65 | 578 | 13½ | Hughie Jennings | 484,988 | |
| 1912 | Sixth | 69 | 84 | 451 | 36½ | Hughie Jennings | 402,870 | |
| 1913 | Sixth | 66 | 87 | 431 | 30 | Hughie Jennings | 398,502 | |
| 1914 | Fourth | 80 | 73 | 523 | 19½ | Hughie Jennings | 416,225 | |
| 1915 | Second | 100 | 54 | 649 | 2½ | Hughie Jennings | 476,105 | |
| 1916 | Third | 87 | 67 | 565 | 4 | Hughie Jennings | 616,772 | |
| 1917 | Fourth | 78 | 75 | 510 | 21½ | Hughie Jennings | 457,289 | |
| 1918 | Seventh | 55 | 71 | 437 | 20 | Hughie Jennings | 203,719 | |
| 1919 | Fourth | 80 | 60 | 571 | 8 | Hughie Jennings | 643,805 | |
| 1910s | | 790 | 704 | 529 | 173½ | | 4,491,563 | |
| Avg | | 79 | 70 | 529 | 17 | | 449,156 |
"Baseball is a red-blooded sport for red-blooded men….a struggle for supremacy, survival of the fittest." - Ty Cobb
 1910(86-68) Sam Crawford's average is under .300, but he leads the league, by a wide margin... with 120 RBIs
Third sacker George Moriarty swipes 33 bases in his second year with the club... George goes on to manage the Tigers in '27 and '28... he also umpired before and after his managing gig, once challenging the entire White Sox team to fight him. One took the challenge and George floored him!
Did Ty Cobb win the batting title or not? The almanac knows! It's all clouded in controversy... St. Louis lays down on the last day giving Nap Lajoie 6 bunt hits while Cobb himself sits to protect his average... in 1981, it'' be discovered that an error was made giving Cobb 2 extra hits, but Cobb's batting title is ruled to stand
The Almanac says:
While the Tigers' bats continue to BOOM- they lead the league in runs scored, again... the pitching slips... a LOT... all the way down to 6th in the league. A difference of 12 wins pretty much puts an end to the Detroit pennant run... there are highlights-- a good start which sees the team hang in the race for the first three months, but one of Connie Mack's great teams pulls away in August and ends up winning by a record margin.
1911(89-65)
Cobb has what may be his best season ever... hits an unbelievable .420, leads in almost every category except HRs (2nd) and steals 83 bases! He also swipes 3rd AND HOME during an argument in New York, when no time out is called!
... and Crawford also has his best year, batting .378 with 37 steals
Wabash George Mullin has his last real productive year, going 18-13
The Almanac says:
This is a tale of 2 seasons... out of the gate with a 21-2 record in early May- an 8 game lead which increases to 9½ but then pitching weakness and reality sets in. This is a team that can bash the ball... the C & C boys both have their best years, but can't keep the Mackmen down... out of first place by early August, they finish a distant 13½ games behind.
1912(69-84)
Ty Cobb hits over .400 again!... but, as usual, makes news in other ways--- on May 12, he goes into the stands to attack a heckler... some say he was crippled... when Cobb is suspended, his teammates elect to strike in support of the Peach. Rather than face a forfeit and a fine, owner Frank Navin rounds up some locals who get hammered 24-2 by Philadelphia. After the strikers are told by the league president to play the next day or be suspended for life, they relent. Cobb is fined $50 and suspended a week... the strikers are duked $100. Did you know???- In the 1994 movie "Cobb," the heckler is portrayed by singer and lead parrotthead Jimmy Buffett!
Jean Dubuc leads with 17 wins... he'll be banished in connection with the Black Sox Scandal in 1920... but he'll contribute in another huge way to Tiger success... he's the scout who will sign Hank Greenberg!
The Almanac says:
No 21-2 start this year... no sireeee... more like 10-13, but the team is actually at .500 as late as mid-June! The pitching's abysmal and the hitting isn't what it had been with the only meaningful production from the normal 2 guys. Biggest news is the opening of the new Navin Field which will, of course, evolve into Beautiful Tiger Stadium
1913(66-87)
Bobby Veach begins his 12 year career in Detroit, giving the Tigers a great outfield with the C & C boys. Bobby is a lifetime .310 hitter with very good power for that era... hits 16 home runs in 1921... hits for the cycle in 1920 and known for his strong arm
Hooks Dauss begins his 15 year Detroit career... he'll win over 200 games... Hookie has to retire due to an irregular heartbeat when he's 36 and still effective... known for his curveball, hence the name "Hooks," but his heater is considered substandard
Cobb holds out and misses the first 15 days of the season and hits "only" .390 to lead the league... again.
The Almanac says:
Even when Cobb's 15 day holdout ends... and he signs for the grand sum of $12,000, the team doesn't play any better... only 4th in batting and dead last in pitching, they start slow and never contend. Grand Rapids Wally Pipp appears in 12 games and later stars for the Yankees... and is famous for other things!
1914(80-73)Harry "The Giant Killer" Coveleski comes over from the NL to lead the team in wins with 22, his first of 3 straight 20 win seasons... he'd beaten the NY Giants 3 times in one week in 1908 to cost them the pennant and then, of course, developed a sore arm. He had 3 other brothers play pro ball, including Stanley who makes the Hall of Fame, also as a pitcher... South Bend's Coveleski Stadium is named after Stanley.
Wahoo Sam hits .314, his last time over .300, leads the league in RBIs and has 26 triples... his highest ever. Not bad for a 34 year old guy!
... and Cobb, who else? ... misses 6 weeks after breaking his thumb in a fight with a butcher of all things... he still wins the batting crown
The Almanac says:
A bit of a surprise in 1914, a quick start and the Bengals are in first place as late as early June and hang in contention into July. Cobb's stupid injury really hurt the club, but it probably wouldn't have made the difference since they eventually finish 19½ games back.  Harry Coveleski
Chicago Daily News negatives collection, SDN-059494, Courtesy Chicago Historical Society | |
1915(100-54) | 
Bobby Veach
Chicago Daily News negatives collection, SDN-060578
Courtesy Chicago Historical Society Bobby Veach has a breakthrough year, hitting .313 and leading the league in ribeyes... but on June 23, he gets caught by the hidden ball trick... OUCH!
Hooks Dauss hangs 24 wins on the board to lead the team... Hooks is considered to be a very nice, easygoing guy who should have won more games with a little more intensity... however, even though he has very good control, he's always at or near the top in hitting batters!
Cobb steals home an incredible 6 times, helping him to set the record of 96 steals in a year... it'll stand until 1962 when Maury Wills topps it. Oh yeah- he also wins his 9th straight batting crown.
The Almanac says:
This is a very good team which plays Boston toe-to-toe all the way, but never quite catches them. First in the league in hitting... again... the pitching's more than respectable, but Boston beats them out by 3... even though they play 6 less games... doesn't seem fair... Was there an East Coast Bias as early as 1914? Was ESPN involved? | | | |
1916(87-67)
1917(78-75)
Ty Cobb reclaims his batting title and hits in 35 straight games- the second longest hitting streak of his career!
Bobby Veach hits .319. With Cobb and Heilmann, (and Crawford before him), they form the leagues best offensive and defensive outfield for many years
"Wahoo" Sam Crawford's last year with the club,... he's released in midseason, but plays several more years in the Pacific Coast League (considered by many to be the the "3rd Major League")
The Almanac says:
This team never really shows up... stays right around the .500 mark all year, scores a decent amount of runs, as all Tiger teams did, but the pitching, as usual is weak... the fans don't appreciate it too much- attendance was back down over 150,000.
1918(55-71)Bernie Boland leads a mediocre pitching staff with 14 wins... he once struck out Babe Ruth 3 times in one game!
Another batting tile for Cobb at .382... he also pitches in 2 games, 4 innings and gives up only 1 run... hmmm- Babe Ruth in reverse?
The Almanac says:
A war-shortened season, only 126 games, and lucky for the Tigers it doesn't go longer. The hitting, which has always carried the team, sinks to 6th in the league while the pitching is its usual self. Heilmann spends a good part of the season in a Navy sub, but will step his game up several notches beginning next year.
1919(80-60)Harry Heilmann shifts from outfield to 1st base and really comes into his own... always a good hitter, Harry begins paying more attention to Cobb's theories and coaching and really blossoms into one of the league's premier hitters and an eventual Hall of Famer.
Bobby Veach has one of his best years... bats .355 with over a hundred ribbies
...and Cobb wins the batting tile again at .384- this is his last and a record 12th time... any Yankee ever do that? ... any Red Sox??
The Almanac says:
A big improvement from '18... even by mid August they're only 4 games out, but quickly lose ground to one of baseball's all time legendary teams, the 1919 Chicago Black Sox. Typical heavy hitting Tiger team... 1st in runs scored, but a little thin on the mound.  Harry Heilmann | |
Continue on to the TREMENDOUS Twenties!
Go back to the awesome OUGHTS!
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