| Charlie Gehringer |
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Charles Leonard Gehringer ( May 11 1903 – January 21 1993 ), nicknamed “'''The Mechanical Man''',” was a Major League Baseball Second Baseman who played nineteen seasons (1924-1942) for the Detroit Tigers . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. OVERVIEW Widely regarded as one of the greatest second basemen of all time, Gehringer was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949. During his career, Gehringer compiled a .320 Batting Average and had seven seasons with more than 200 Hits -- a hit total never reached in a season by Ted Williams or Mickey Mantle and reached only once by Willie Mays . He was the American League batting champion in 1937 with a .371 average and was also named the American League ’s Most Valuable Player . He was among the Top 10 vote recipients in the Most Valuable Player voting for seven straight years from 1932-1938. He was the starting second baseman and played every inning of the first six All Star Game s. His career totals of 2,839 Hits and 574 Doubles both rank 19th in Major League history. Gehringer also led the Tigers to three American League pennants (1934, 1935, and 1940) and one World Series Championship (1935). Gehringer hit .379 and .375 in the 1934 and 1935 World Series. Gehringer was also one of the best fielding second basemen in history, having led all American League second basemen in fielding percentage and assists seven times. His 7,068 assists is the second highest total in major league history for a second baseman. He also collected 5,369 putouts as a second basemen (the 6th highest total for a second baseman) and 1,444 double plays (the 7th highest total for a second baseman). Known for his consistency as a hitter and fielder, Gehringer was given the nickname "The Mechanical Man" by Yankee pitcher quipped: "You wind him up Opening Day and forget him." [http://www.baseball-statistics.com/HOF/Gehringer.html] A durable player, Gehringer had two consecutive game streaks of more than 500 games -- one from 1927-1931 and the other from 1931-1935.[http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/gehrich01.php] Career statistics EARLY YEARS: 1922-1926 Gehringer grew up on a farm outside Fowlerville, Michigan . In 1922, he enrolled at the University Of Michigan , about 30 miles from the family farm. Gehringer took physical education classes and played basketball and baseball. Gehringer later recalled that he lettered in basketball but not baseball. {Link without Title} In the fall of 1923, after his first year at the University Of Michigan , Gehringer was discovered by Detroit Tigers left fielder Bobby Veach . Veach heard about Gehringer, and brought him down to Navin Field to work out for a week and show the Tiges what he could do. (Anthony Connor, "''Voices from Cooperstown''" (1982), p. 37) Player-manager Ty Cobb was reportedly so impressed with Gehringer that he asked club owner, Frank Navin , to sign Gehringer to a contract on the spot. "I knew Charlie would hit and I was so anxious to sign him that I didn't even take the time to change out of my uniform before rushing him into the front office to sign a contract." ''Ty Cobb'' {Link without Title} In 1924, Gehringer played with London Tecumsehs in the Class B Michigan Ontario League . He was called up briefly at the end of September and played five games for the Tigers, batting .462 in 13 at bats. Nevertheless, the 21-year-old Gehringer returned to the minor leagues where he played in 1925 for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League , and 8 games with the Tigers. Gehringer’s first full season in the big leagues was 1926, which was also , Cobb: The Life and Times of the Meanest Man Who Ever Played Baseball'' (1994), p. 419) Playing for the " Small Ball " oriented Cobb, Gehringer also had a career-high 27 Sacrifice Hit s in 1926. Six Tigers from the Cobb era ( Donie Bush , Ty Cobb , Harry Heilmann , Bobby Veach , Sam Crawford , and Ossie Vitt ) rank in the Top 50 all time for Sacrifice Hits . {Link without Title} After Cobb's departure, Gehringer never again came close to 27 sacrifice hits. GEHRINGER BECOMES A STAR: 1927-1933 In 1927, the Tigers had a new manager in George Moriarty and a lineup full of great hitters, including Heinie Manush , Harry Heilmann , Lu Blue , and Bob Fothergill . The 1927 season was also the beginning of Gehringer’s many seasons as a reliable .300 hitter. In 1927, he hit .317 and scored 110 runs – 4th best in the American League . He also led American League second basemen with 438 assists and 84 double plays. In 1928, he played in all 154 games for the Tigers, hit .320, collected 193 hits (5th best in the league), scored 108 runs (5th best in the league), and had 507 assists (best in the league for a 2nd baseman). At the end of the 1928 season, Gehringer placed 19th in the voting for the American League’s Most Valuable Player. Gehringer’s steady improvement as a hitter continued in 1929, as he hit .339 with an on base percentage of .405, a slugging percentage of .532, and 106 RBIs. He also led the American League in many offensive categories, including hits (215), doubles (45), triples (19, including 3 in one game), runs (131), and stolen bases (27). He also led the league in putouts (404) and fielding percentage (.975) by a second basemen. Gehringer’s consecutive game streak continued in 1930, as he played in every game of the 1928, 1929, and 1930 seasons. In 1930, he hit .330 with a .404 on base percentage and a .534 slugging percentage (9th best in the American League). He also scored 144 runs (3rd best in the league) and collected 201 hits, 78 extra base hits, 47 doubles (3rd in the league), 15 triples (5th in the league), and 19 stolen bases (2nd in the league). Each year from 1926-1930, Gehringer improved his statistics in the three Triple Crown categories ( Batting Average , Home Run s and RBI s). The only other player to do that for five years running is Rogers Hornsby . {Link without Title} In relative terms, 1931 was an “off” year for Gehringer. His consecutive game streak ended, as he played in 101 games. He also fell below the .300 mark (batting .298) for the only time between 1926 and 1941. Gehringer still had a fine year by most standards, and ended up No. 17 in the 1931 American League MVP voting. In 1932, Gehringer was back at full strength, playing in 152 games and hitting .325 with 112 runs, 107 RBIs, and 44 doubles (2nd best in the league). Not generally known a power hitter, Gehringer even hit 19 home runs in 1932, 7th best in the American League. At the end of the year, Gehringer was 9th in the league’s MVP voting. In 1933, the “Mechanical Man” continued his string of consistent seasons, playing in 155 games, batting .330 (5th best in the American League), and collecting 204 hits (2nd in the league), 42 doubles (4th in the league), 105 RBIs, and a career-high 542 assists (best in the league for 2nd basemen). Gehringer was once again among the top vote recipients in the 1933 MVP voting, this time placing 6th. A QUIET MAN Gehringer had a reputation as quiet and unassuming. Player-manager Mickey Cochrane joked that "Charlie says `hello' on Opening Day, `goodbye' on closing day, and in between hits .350." {Link without Title} Gehringer acknowledged his quiet demeanor: "I wasn't a rabble rouser. I wasn't a big noisemaker in the infield, which a lot of managers think you've got to be or you're not showing. But I don't think it contributes much." Gehringer also had a sense of humor about his reputation. At a civic banquet in his honor, Gehringer's entire speech consisted of the following: "I'm known around baseball as saying very little, and I'm not going to spoil my reputation." When asked why he signed his name "Chas. Gehringer," he responded: "Why use seven letters when four will do?" On another occasion, when asked about his closed-lip reputation, he responded: "Not true; if somebody asked me a question, I would answer them. If they said, 'Pass the salt,' I would pass the salt." His unassuming nature is also reflected in his reaction to a "Charlie Gehringer Day" held by the Tigers in 1929. Fans from Gehringer’s hometown and throughout Detroit filled the stands for a 17-13 win over the Yankees. Gehringer handled 10 chances at second base, had four hits including a home run, and stole home. In a ceremony, the people of Fowlerville presented Gehringer with a set of golf clubs. Though the clubs were right-handed, and Gehringer was left-handed, Gehringer learned to golf right-handed rather than trade for a left-handed set of clubs. {Link without Title} BACK-TO-BACK PENNANTS IN 1934 AND 1935 In 1934, Gehringer had his best year to date, playing all 154 games and leading the Tigers to their first American League pennant in 25 years. His .356 batting average and .450 on base percentage were both 2nd best in the league. He led the league in runs scored with 134 and hits with 214. He was also among the league leaders in doubles with 42 (2nd best in the league) and RBIs with a career-high 127 (5th best in the league). Gehringer finished 2nd in the American League MVP voting, just 2 points behind Detroit’s player-manager, Mickey Cochrane . The Detroit infield in the mid-1930s was one of the best-hitting combinations in major league history. With Hank Greenberg at first, Gehringer at second, Billy Rogell at shortstop, and Marv Owen at third, the 1934 Tigers infield collected 769 hits (214 by Gehringer, 201 by Greenberg, 179 by Owen and 175 by Rogell), 462 RBIs (139 by Greenberg, 127 by Gehringer, 100 by Rogell, and 96 by Owen), and 179 doubles (63 by Greenberg, 50 by Gehringer, 34 by Owen and 32 by Rogell). Three members of the 1934 Tigers infield (Gehringer, Owen and Rogell) played in all 154 games, and the fourth (Greenberg) played in 153. Gehringer’s 127 RBIs in 1934 is all the more remarkable given the fact that he played in the same lineup with one of the greatest RBI men of all time, Hank Greenberg . Gehringer later recalled that Greenberg would tell him: “Just get the runner over to third," so Hank could drive them in. Gehringer noted that "Hank loved those RBIs," to the point that Gehringer once kidded Greenberg: "You'd trip a runner coming around third base just so you could knock him in yourself.” {Link without Title} The 1934 World Series was a match-up between St. Louis’s ", despite a 2-for-4 game from Gehringer. Gehringer can’t be faulted for the World Series loss, as he played all seven games, batting .379 with an on base percentage of .438 and a .517 slugging percentage. In 1935, Gehringer and the Tigers won a World Series, beating the Chicago Cubs 4 games to 2. For the year, Gehringer hit .330 with a .409 on base percentage and a .502 slugging percentage, collecting 201 hits, 123 runs, 108 RBIs, and 19 home runs. Once again, Gehringer was among the top vote getters in the MVP race, again losing to one of his own teammates, Hank Greenberg . Gehringer also continued his consistent hitting into the 1935 World Series, where he played all six games, and hit .375 with a .423 on base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage and 4 RBIs. 1934 TOUR OF JAPAN After the 1934 season, Gehringer was part of the Major League All Star tour of Japan. The American team included Gehringer, Babe Ruth , Lou Gehrig , and Jimmie Foxx . They played 18 games against a Japanese All Star Team. The American team won all 18 games by a combined score of 189 to 39, but on November 20, 1934, 17-year-old Eiji Sawamura pitched seven shutout innings and had consecutive strikeouts of Gehringer, Ruth, Gehrig, and Foxx. {Link without Title} Gehringer recalled that, during batting practice, the Japanese fans would fill the 60,000 seat ballpark for every game. (Anthony Connor, "''Voices from Cooperstown''," p. 240.) LIFE IN THE OFF-SEASON During the off-season, Gehringer worked as a sales clerk in the downtown Detroit Hudson's . He also spent many years Barnstorming with other Major League players. One year, he traveled with a touring group from the Negro Leagues , including Satchel Paige , Buck Leonard , Judy Johnson , and Mule Suttles . Gehringer recalled that trying to hit Paige’s fastball and hesitation pitch was "no fun." {Link without Title} AN MVP AWARD AND BATTING CROWN Although the 1936 Tigers finished in 2nd place, 19-1/2 games behind the Yankees, the 33-year-old Gehringer may have had his best season. He led the American League in assists, double plays, and fielding percentage by a second baseman. And he had career-bests in hits (227) slugging percentage (.555), runs (144), extra base hits (87), total bases (356) and runs created (152). He also had a career-low 13 strikeouts in 641 at bats during the 1936 season. That equates to a strikeout every 49.3 times at bat. He finished 4th in the MVP voting, as Lou Gehrig became the only non-Tiger to win the MVP award from 1934-1937. Gehringer finally secured his own American League Most Valuable Player trophy, and a batting crown, in 1937. Gehringer won the batting championship with a career-high .371 batting average and placed 2nd in on base percentage with another career-high .458. The 1937 season also saw Gehringer collect 209 hits (his 7th 200 hit season) and score 133 runs (one of twelve 100-plus run seasons). In 1938, Gehringer had another solid year, batting .306 with a .425 on base percentage (6th best in the American League), 133 runs (3rd best in the league), and career-highs in bases on balls with 113 (4th best in the league), and home runs with 20. Gehringer finished 10th in MVP voting in 1938. ROGELL AND GEHRINGER Gehringer played over 1,000 games with Billy Rogell as his Double Play partner at shortstop, making them one of the longest tenured double-play combinations in the history of the game. The two twice led the league in Double Plays . Rogell's fiery demeanor was a stark contrast to the calm, quiet demeanor of Gehringer. On one occasion, after both failed to cover second on a steal attempt, player-manager Mickey Cochrane charged out from behind the plate shouting at Rogell and Gehringer. As reported in '' The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract '': "Rogell, astonished, looked at Gehringer to see if he was going to say anything. Gehringer, of course, had nothing to say. 'Goddamn you,' yelled Rogell. 'Don’t you come charging out here telling me how to play shortstop. You go back there and do the catching, and I’ll play shortstop. If I’m not good enough, you can find someone else.' Cochrane went back to his own position." GEHRINGER'S ADVICE FOR BREAKING OUT OF A SLUMP Gehringer believed that "worry" can shorten your career and life. Gehringer recalled that, when he was in a bad slump, he and his roommate Chief Bender decided to go out on the town and forget about baseball. "So we got a couple dates and went out and drank countless beers and danced all night." The next day, Gehringer was "shaky" and had a bad headache. "But I played, and it was uncanny! I hit the fences with four straight line drives. I was so relaxed!" (Anthony O'Connor, "''Voices from Cooperstown''," pp. 158-159) FINAL YEARS AND THE HALL OF FAME
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