TBT: On This Day Ty Cobb Accomplished History

Photo: forgodandcountry.com

In continuing with this Throwback Thursday series, today we’re taking a look at MLB Hall of Famer Ty Cobb and what he accomplished on this day 92 years ago.  On July 18, 1927 Ty Cobb collected his 4,000 career hit at the ripe age of 40 years old.  Aside from reaching such a historic milestone (Cobb is one of only two players in MLB history with 4,000 career hits, the other being Pete Rose), it was an interesting day for a few other reasons.

The historic base hit came at Detroit’s Navin Field, as you might have guessed, but Ty Cobb wasn’t in a Tigers uniform that day.  He actually played for the Philadelphia Athletics that season after spending 22 years in Detroit.  So Cobb reached the 4,000 hit milestone playing against his old ball club.  The other thing that made his accomplishment interesting was the fact that nobody treated it as a big deal.

Photo: metrotimes.com

You may be questioning that last sentence, as did I, but Ty Cobb’s 4,000th hit wasn’t seen as nearly the type of accomplishment it was 57 years later when Pete Rose did it.  For one, keeping statistical records wasn’t as much of a big deal back then like it became in later years for major league baseball.  And even though reaching 4,000 career hits was something nobody else had ever done, people just sort of expected that type of thing from Cobb.  Wake up, go to the ballpark, get a couple of hits…that’s just what Ty Cobb did.  And he did it for so long, nobody really expected anything less.  There was never a question of “Will he get to 4,000?” but instead a belief of “He will hit until the day he dies, and that could very well get him 6,000.”

I have long held the opinion that Ty Cobb is the greatest baseball player to ever live.  The numbers he put up over the course of his career are astonishing.  He totaled 4,191 hits, 723 doubles, 297 triples, 1,938 RBI, 892 stolen bases, 2,246 runs scored, .367 avg., and a .433 on-base percentage.  People may not have seen it a big deal 92 years ago, but we can certainly appreciate his career numbers now.

Credit: https://www.vintagedetroit.com/blog/2013/11/18/no-hoopla-when-ty-cobb-got-his-4000th-hit/

Garett