MICKEY COCHRANE
Manager, 1934-1938
Catcher, 1934-1937
"Black Mike"
#3
--Class of 1940--
Bats - Left
Throws - Right
Born - 4/6/1903
Died - 6/28/1962
Biography:
A fiery personality, Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane’s infectious and competitive nature brought the best and the worst out of him during his life. For the Detroit Tigers, it brought much more good than bad. Looking for a new manager entering 1934, Babe Ruth was the early front runner. However, his snub opened the door for Mickey Cochrane. The Tigers got him for $100,000 and it paid off in spades. In 1934 he was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player, despite the fact that Lou Gehrig completed the Triple Crown. The Tigers won their first AL pennant since 1909 but fell short of their first World Championship in a crushing seven-game World Series loss to St. Louis's Gashouse Gang. But Cochrane’s troops had one more run in them. In 1935 Cochrane had another outstanding season and the Tigers capped it off with the first World Series championship in team history, with Cochrane scoring the game-winning run in the sixth and deciding game. Reportedly not a great defensive player initially, "Black Mike" made himself a strong catcher. He had an outstanding arm and good speed on the basepaths. At the plate he almost always put the ball in play, and batted .313 during his Tiger career. In the end, his competitive nature got the best of him. He suffered a nervous breakdown in 1936. In 1937 he almost lost his life when he was drilled in the head by a Bump Hadley pitch. Finally, after a lackluster first half, he was let go as manager midway through the 1938 season. A member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, he came back as a Tiger scout in 1960 and even served as the team’s vice president in 1962. So respected, when he died shortly thereafter, the street that lined the left field line at Tiger Stadium was renamed Cochrane Avenue.
Managerial Record:
Code:
Year League Team Age G W L WP Finish Champs
1934 American Lg Detroit 31 154 101 53 .656 1 AL
1935 American Lg Detroit 32 152 93 58 .616 1 WS
1936 American Lg Detroit 33 120 65 55 .542 2
1937 American Lg Detroit 34 76 42 33 .560 2
1938 American Lg Detroit 35 98 47 51 .480 4
YR From To G W L WP BstFin WstFin PostSsn Pennts WrldSer
TOTALS 5 1934 1938 600 348 250 .582 1 4 2 2 1
Hitting:
Code:
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ TB SH HBP
1934 31 DET AL 129 437 74 140 32 1 2 76 8 4 78 26 .320 .428 .412 117 180 5 4
1935 32 DET AL 115 411 93 131 33 3 5 47 5 5 96 15 .319 .452 .450 137 185 11 4
1936 33 DET AL 44 126 24 34 8 0 2 17 1 1 46 15 .270 .465 .381 111 48 6 0
1937 34 DET AL 27 98 27 30 10 1 2 12 0 1 25 4 .306 .452 .490 135 48 2 1
YR From To G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG SB CS OPS+
TOTALS 4 1934 1937 315 1072 218 335 83 5 11 152 245 60 .312 .444 .430 14 11 126