aline voted into Hall on first ballot
NEW YORK (UPI)-Al Kaline, Detroit's
one and only rightfielder for 22 golden
ars, and Duke Snider, New York's
wither centerfielder" in the heyday of
Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, were
voted into baseball's Hall of Fame yester-
day on a tidal wave of votes.,
Kaline, who batted .297 and made 3,007
hits in 22 years with the Detroit Tigers,
became the 10th player elected in his first
year of eligibility when he received 340 of a
ossible 385 votes from 10-year veterans of
eBaseball Writers Association of
America.
Players previously elected to the Hall in their first
year of eligibility were Mays, Mantle, Ted Williams,
Stan Musial, Bob Feller, Jackie Robinson, Sandy
Koufax, Ernie Banks and Warren Spahn.
Snider, a powerful left-handed hitter with a picture-
book swing, was elected on his 11th attempt with 333
votes. He spent 18 years in the major leagues-16 of
them with the Dodgers-and had a lifetime batting
average of .295 with 407 home runs and 1,333 runs bat-
ted in. He led the National League in homers in 1955
h 43 and equaled a major league record by hitting
or more homers in five consecutive seasons from
1953 through 1957.
"I can't think of two finer selections by the baseball
writers, and I want to commend them on their
choices," said Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. "These
are two of the finest outfielders who ever played the
game."
!First of all," said Kaline, "I want to thank all the
wtiters for the greatest honor Ive ever had in my life.
I was very nervous the last three days. And when I
the call last night at 6:25, I almost went through.
ceiling. I was very shocked.
"Knowing all the great players who didn't make it
on the first ballot, I th ought my chances of doing it
were nip and tuck-50-50. I don't think my vocabulary
can express what I feel."
"I felt after missing last year by 11 votes, my
chancs were pretty good," said Snider. "I feel I am a
Hall of Famer. I don't think I've ever been more ner-
vous except for my wedding day and my first World
Series day. When the call came last night, I was
pacing the floor. If you ask me my reaction on
aring the news, it was like hitting my first World
4ties home run off Allie Reynolds.
"I was very controversial at the beginning of my
career, but then I mellowed. I'm still in baseball, and
I want to stay in it as long as I can. I love it. I want to
thank the writers for this tremendous honor."
Throughout the long career Kaline enjoyed with the
Tigers, two trademarks characterized him-class
and consistency. Therefore, it was not surprising that
after the 1972 season, Kaline considered it his
greatest honor when he was awarded the "Roberto
Clemente Memorial Award" for "distinguished ser-
vice to baseball."
Ordinarily, that would be quite a concession from a
man who had twice been named the outstanding
player in the American League by the Sporting News
and had been the youngest man ever to win a AL bat-
ting title in addition to having been named to the All
How Kaline Stands
Games
At Bats
Runs
Hits
Doubles
Triples
Home Runs
T. Bases
RBI
Walks
Totals
2,834
10,116
1,622
3,007
498
75
399
4,852
1,583
1,277
Majors
7th
11th
26th
14th
24th
19th
14th
20th
20th
Tigers
1st
2nd
3rd
2nd
3rd
6th
1st
2nd
2nd
1st
fourth once in compiling a lifetime batting average
that only dipped below .300 because of his last two
seasons.
That 1955 season has often been blamed by many
baseball observers as Kaline's one major downfall. It
was argued that Kaline, being only 20, was never able
to overcome such great success at an early age and
thus never really reached his potential as one of the
game's all-time hitting stars. The closest he ever got
to the .340 was ,327 in 1959 but it was as an all-around
player that he gained respect and a place among the
other great outfielders of all time.
In 1967, the year the Tigers missed out on the AL
pennant by a game in the heated four-team race,
Kaline almost missed out on all the late-season
heroics when he broke his hand in late June and was
out a month. He wound up batting .308 with 25 homers
and 78 runs batted in, nonetheless, and was selected
for the all star fielding team for the seventh straight
year.
Then in 1968, the Tigers finally won a pen-
nant-Kaline's first-but again, injuries almost
caused him to miss out. On May 26, he was hit by a
pitch which broke his right arm and he was on the
disabled list for over a month. His batting average
dipped to .287 that year and his home run production
dropped to just 10. But in the World Series,,Kaline
showed that he was always at his best, under
pressure.
One of the game's greatest clutch players, Kaline
batted .379 in the Tigers' victorious series over St.
Louis. He also had two home runs, drove in eight runs
and tied four Series records. Included were most hits
one inning 2, most runs one inning, 2, and most
putouts one game by a right fielder, 7.
His All Star game totals paralleled his performan-
ce in the World Series. In 12 All Star game appearan-
ces, he batted .382 with two homers and seven RBI.
In the AL playoffs in 1972 against the eventual
world champion Oakland A's, Kaline again stood out
for the Tigers despite having reached 38 years of age.
He batted .263 but scored three runs with eight total
bases, one home run and a run batted in. He also
again made several outstanding defensive plays in
right field.
Kaline became the Tigers' first $100,000 salaried
player in 1972-after typically turning down the
club's offer the previous season because he felt he
wasn't worth it.
"He's going to be in the Hall of Fame." The
speaker: Jack Tighe. The year: 1957, when Kaline
was 22.
The Michigan Daily-Thursday, January 10, 1980-Page 15
InJuries cuse dilemma
or Michigan grapplers
By AL GRABENSTEIN
After competing in Evanston, Illinois at the Midlands, Tournament
on December 29 and 30, the Michigan wrestling team returned to practice
last weekend in Ann Arbor.
Steve Fraser was the only Michigan grappler able to place at the
Midlands Tournament. Wrestling in the 190-pound slot, Fraser took fifth
place, but his role in tonight's 8 o'clock meet against Hofstra at Crisler
Arena is still up in the air.
Heavyweight Eric Klasson suffered a fall at last Saturday's practice and
won't be able to participate in tonight's confrontation. Klasson was expected
to replace Steve Bennet, who is sitting out the meet with knee problems. And
with that, coach Dale Bahr faces a dilemma with regard to the heavyweight
situation.
Fortunately, Hofstra doesn't have too much to throw at Michigan in the
upper weights. The Wolverines, on the other hand, will have either Pat
McKay or Bill Petoskey at the 177-pound weight class, and Steve Fraser, at
190, faces Aerol Balianieu. Balianieu beat Fraser at the Penn State In-
vitational in early December.
John Beljan will be replacing Lou Joseph, who suffered a cracked elbow
at the Kent State meet a few weeks ago. Bahr doesn't expect Joseph back un-
til late Febraury.
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Star team 13 times. Such, however, was the way the
quiet man who went about his brilliant career with a
minimum of flare and a maximum of dignity.
Kaline, born Dec. 19, 1934, was spotted as a 15-year
old on the sandlots of Baltimore by Tiger scout Ed
Katalainas. Three years later in 1953, Kaline signed a
$35,000 bonus with the Tigers and then did what few
other players have done before or after-leap from
sandlot ball straight into the major leagues.
A year later, he played a full season with the Tigers
and, despite being only 19 and a year removed from
sandlot ball, batted a respectable .276.
He won the AL batting title in 1955 with a .340
average and at only 20, was thus the youngest man to
ever accomplish this feat.
He was second three other times, third twice and
1
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