| Mickey Cochrane | |
|---|---|
 Cochrane 1933 Goudey baseball card | |
| Catcher / Manager | |
| Born: April 6, 1903 Bridgewater, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Died: June 28, 1962 (aged 59) Lake Forest, Illinois, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 14, 1925, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 25, 1937, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .320 |
| Home runs | 119 |
| Runs batted in | 830 |
| Managerial record | 348–250 |
| Winning % | .582 |
| Teams | |
| As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1947 |
| Vote | 79.5% (sixth ballot) |
Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach.[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers. Cochrane was considered one of the best catchers in baseball history and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.[2][3][4] In his first season as manager, he led the Tigers to 101 wins, which was the most for a rookie manager for 27 years (since Cochrane, six other managers have won 100 games as a rookie).[5]
Cochrane was born in Massachusetts and was a multi-sport athlete at Boston University. After college, he chose baseball over basketball and football. He made his major league debut in 1925, having spent only one season in the minor leagues. He was chosen as the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player in 1928 and he appeared in the World Series from 1929 to 1931. Philadelphia won the first two of those World Series, but Cochrane was criticized for giving up stolen bases when his team lost the series in 1931. Cochrane's career batting average (.320) is still an MLB record for a catcher.
Cochrane's career ended abruptly after a near-fatal head injury from a beanball in 1937. After his professional baseball career, he served in the United States Navy in World War II and ran an automobile business. Cochrane died of cancer in 1962. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked him 65th on its list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.
- ^ "Mickey Cochrane at Baseball Reference". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
- ^ Bevis, Charlie. "The Baseball Biography Project: Mickey Cochrane". Society for American Baseball Research. Archived from the original on November 20, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
- ^ "Mickey Cochrane Obituary at Baseball Almanac". Baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
- ^ "Mickey Cochrane at The Baseball Hall of Fame". Baseballhall.org. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
- ^ "Twins make history as 4th 100-win team, beat Royals 6-2". September 28, 2019.