Al Kaline, a lifetime Detroit Tiger who was among the most beloved of living HoFers, died on 4/6 at age 85. No cause of death has been given as of yet.

A lifetime .297 hitter, Kaline became the youngest MLB player ever to win a league batting title, checking in with a .340 average in 1955. He finished his MLB career with 3007 hits, 399 HR and 1583 RBI. He was inducted into Cooperstown in 1980.

Having never played a game in the minors, Kaline's first MLB game was on 6/25/53, and for that season, he wore #25 on his uniform, after which he switched to the #6 jersey we all remember at the beginning of the 1954 season.

Dave Miedema