Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. Nicknamed "The Mechanical Man", he played at the second-base position for nineteen seasons (1924 to 1942) with the Detroit Tigers and was perhaps the greatest second-baseman of his era. Born in Fowlerville, Michigan, he attended the University of Michigan and was signed as an amateur free agent by Detroit in 1924. He marked his Major League debut on September 22, 1924 and appeared in 5 games that season, recording 6 hits with a .462 batting average. He credited Ty Cobb with his success as a hitter and during the course of his career, he topped the 200-hit mark seven-times (including his league-leading 215 in 1929 and 214 in 1934), led the league twice in runs scored (131 in 1929 and 134 in 1934) and was league leader in doubles two-times (45 in 1929 and 60 in 1936) and triples with 19 in 1929. He received the league MVP Award in 1937 as he was the hitting champion with a .371 batting average. Gehringer's achievements were not limited to his offense, as he led the league seven-times in assists. He saw World Series action three-times, first in 1934 as he recorded 11 hits with a .353 batting average, in 1935 recording 9 hit with a .375 batting average as Detroit captured the World Series title, and 1940 recording 6 hits with a .214 batting average. In 20 career World Series contests, he posted a .321 batting average. In 2,323 regular season games, he amassed 2,839 hits with 1,774 runs scored, 574 doubles, 146 triples, 184 home runs and 1,427 RBIs with a lifetime .320 batting average. Following his playing career, he served with the US Navy during World War II. Upon returning home, he established an automobile accessories business and served as the Tigers' general manager from 1952 to 1953. He was enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1956. Gehringer died from a stroke in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan on January 21st, 1993.
Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. Nicknamed "The Mechanical Man", he played at the second-base position for nineteen seasons (1924 to 1942) with the Detroit Tigers and was perhaps the greatest second-baseman of his era. Born in Fowlerville, Michigan, he attended the University of Michigan and was signed as an amateur free agent by Detroit in 1924. He marked his Major League debut on September 22, 1924 and appeared in 5 games that season, recording 6 hits with a .462 batting average. He credited Ty Cobb with his success as a hitter and during the course of his career, he topped the 200-hit mark seven-times (including his league-leading 215 in 1929 and 214 in 1934), led the league twice in runs scored (131 in 1929 and 134 in 1934) and was league leader in doubles two-times (45 in 1929 and 60 in 1936) and triples with 19 in 1929. He received the league MVP Award in 1937 as he was the hitting champion with a .371 batting average. Gehringer's achievements were not limited to his offense, as he led the league seven-times in assists. He saw World Series action three-times, first in 1934 as he recorded 11 hits with a .353 batting average, in 1935 recording 9 hit with a .375 batting average as Detroit captured the World Series title, and 1940 recording 6 hits with a .214 batting average. In 20 career World Series contests, he posted a .321 batting average. In 2,323 regular season games, he amassed 2,839 hits with 1,774 runs scored, 574 doubles, 146 triples, 184 home runs and 1,427 RBIs with a lifetime .320 batting average. Following his playing career, he served with the US Navy during World War II. Upon returning home, he established an automobile accessories business and served as the Tigers' general manager from 1952 to 1953. He was enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1956. Gehringer died from a stroke in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan on January 21st, 1993.
Bio by: C.S.
Family Members
Siblings
Half Siblings
Advertisement
See more Gehringer memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
