Al Kaline (Photo by: 1973 SPX/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
In his final season as a major leaguer, Detroit Tigers legend Al Kaline etched his name into the history books. “Mr. Tiger” collected his 3,000th hit in 1974. This is the story of how the esteemed Hall of Famer reached that milestone.
When the 1973 regular season ended, Al Kaline was only “75 percent sure” that he’d return to the Detroit Tigers in 1974. It had been a disappointing year for Kaline. He appeared in fewer than 100 games for the first time since he was an 18-year old rookie fresh out of high school in 1953.