MLB Players, Writers Mourn the Death of Detroit Tigers Great Al Kaline
Al Kaline, the Hall of Fame outfielder, has died at the age of 85. Kaline played 22 seasons, all with the Detroit Tigers. He was an 18-time All-Star, won 10 Gold Gloves and was on the 1968 Tigers team that won the World Series. He was one of the greatest athletes in Detroit sports history.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Kaline signed with the Detroit Tigers the day after he graduated high school and made his MLB debut at 18. He then played until he was 39, collecting 3,007 hits and 399 home runs along the way. Upon retiring, he took on color commentating duties for Tigers television broadcasts until 2002, when he shifted to Detroit's front office, where he worked for the last 18 years.
Just about everyone around baseball has something nice to say about Kaline in the wake of his passing.