Cobb, Ty (Tyrus Raymond Cobb), 1886–1961, American baseball player, b. Narrows, Ga. In 1905 he joined the Detroit Tigers as center fielder and in his 24 years in the American League was one of the most spectacular and brilliant players in the history of the game. The hot-tempered Cobb, called the "Georgia Peach" by his admirers, achieved the best lifetime batting average (.367), made 4,189 major-league hits (now second in baseball history), stole 892 bases, and won 12 batting championships. He was (1921–26) manager of the Detroit team, played (1927–28) with the Philadelphia Athletics, and then retired from baseball. He was the first elected (1936) member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bibliography

See his autobiography (1961); biographies by C. C. Alexander (1984) and A. Stump (1994).

Cobb, Ty

in full Tyrus Raymond Cobb

Ty Cobb.

(credit: Pictorial Parade)

(born Dec. 18, 1886, Narrows, Ga., U.S.—died July 17, 1961, Atlanta, Ga.) U.S. baseball player, one of the greatest offensive players and perhaps the fiercest competitor in baseball history. He joined the Detroit Tigers in 1905, batting left-handed but throwing right-handed. He spent 22 seasons as an outfielder with the Detroit Tigers, then managed them from 1921 to 1926. His record for career batting average (.366) remains unbroken; those for runs batted in (1,937), runs (2,245), and hits (4,189) stood for many years. He batted at least .300 for 23 straight seasons, an all-time record, and his three years of batting over .400 also represent a record. His career record of 892 stolen bases (partly the result of the brutality with which he used his cleats) was surpassed only in 1979. In the first election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, Cobb received the most votes.

Cobb, (Tyrus Raymond) Ty (1886–1961) baseball player; born in Narrows, Ga. During his 24-year career as an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics (1905–28), he compiled a lifetime batting average of .367, the highest in major league history. He batted .400 or higher in a season three times, and 12 times he led the American League in batting average, a major league record. He possessed exceptional speed and stole 892 bases in his career, the major league record until Lou Brock surpassed it in 1977. His 4,191 lifetime hits was the major league record until Pete Rose surpassed it in 1985. A ferocious competitor, Cobb's intense manner provoked controversy on and off the field. He managed the Tigers for six years (1921–26), but never finished higher than second place. Having made shrewd investments while a player, including the purchase of Coca-Cola stock, he lived comfortably throughout his retirement. Nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," he was the first player elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1936.