My Take
Al Kaline is one of those players who makes you realize how rare genuine excellence really is. He went straight from high school in Baltimore to the Detroit Tigers at 18, never spending a single day in the minor leagues, and then spent every one of his 22 major league seasons in a Detroit uniform — that kind of loyalty feels almost mythological by modern standards. Winning ten Gold Gloves in right field wasn't a fluke; the man had a cannon for an arm and moved like he was born wearing a glove. He hit .340 in 1955 to become the youngest American League batting champion ever, at just 20 years old. The Tigers finally got their World Series ring in 1968 and Kaline was a big part of why. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980, he remained a beloved ambassador for the game until his passing in 2020 — the definition of a franchise cornerstone done right.
Overview
Albert William Kaline ( KAY-line; December 19, 1934 – April 6, 2020), nicknamed "Mr. Tiger", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played his entire 22-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers. For most of his career, Kaline played in the outfield, mainly as a right fielder where he won ten Gold Glove Awards and was known for his strong throwing arm.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Al Kaline
- Name (Japanese)
- アル・ケーライン
- Reading
- ある・けーらいん
- Born
- December 19, 1934 – April 6, 2020
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Dog
- Origin
- Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- baseball player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Southern High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Rawlings Gold Glove Award
- 1980 National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.