RIP - Al Kaline

A second 1960s' All-Star outfielder has passed away in as many weeks.

Al Kaline, who played for the Tigers from 1953 to 1974 passed away on April 6, 2020 at age 85.

Kaline was a rarity, in that he played his entire career for just one team, and also that he never played in the minor leagues.

He was a 15-time All-Star and a 10-time Gold Glove winner. He finished 3rd in the 1954 AL Rookie of the Year balloting, and the following year led the league with a .340 batting average.

Kaline only appeared in one World Series (1968), but it was a good one. He hit .379 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 8 RBI as the Tigers beat the Cardinals in 7 games.

Kaline's Baseball-Reference.com page

Detroit Free Press obituary

ESPN obituary
.

1960s Blog Hall of Fame Results (#3)

.
The balloting for the 1960s Hall of Fame closed yesterday, with only Carl Yastrzemski and Al Kaline receiving enough votes for election. Both players were added to the ballot this time.

They join these 19 already in the Hall:

17 ballots were cast, with Yaz selected on all but one ballot (94%). Kaline started off slow, with only 40% of the vote, but made a steady comeback to finish with 76% of the vote.

Dick Allen was the only other candidate who was above 75% after 5 ballots, maintaining 80% of the votes through the first 10 ballots, then receiving little support the rest of the way, to finish with 59%.

None of the returning candidates from last time received enough votes. 1950s/1960s pitching stars Warren Spahn, Whitey Ford, and Jim Bunning received 65%, 59%, and 35% respectively. Rod Carew jumped from 19% last time to 47%, while Ron Santo plummeted from 58% down to 29%. Other returning candidates with similar results as last time were Orlando Cepeda, Roger Maris, Maury Wills, and Joe Torre.

Besides the 2 inductees, other newly-added candidates were Eddie Mathews and Billy Williams (both with 59%), and pitchers Jim Kaat and Sam McDowell, who each failed to get 15% of the vote, and will be dropped from the ballot.

.