Mickey Cochrane

From BR Bullpen

Gordon Stanley Cochrane (Black Mike)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Weight 180 lb.
• School Boston University
• Debut April 14, 1925
• Final Game May 25, 1937
• Born April 6, 1903 in Bridgewater, MA USA
• Died June 28, 1962 in Lake Forest, IL USA

Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1947

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Contents 1 Biographical Information 2 Notable Achievements 3 Further Reading 4 Related Sites

[edit] Biographical Information

Mickey Cochrane played quarterback, punter and running back at Boston University. He got his nickname "Black Mike" for his famous competitiveness and temper. Doc Cramer once said, "Lose a one to nothing game and you didn't want to be in the clubhouse with Grove and Cochrane. You'd be ducking stools and gloves and bats and whatever else could fly."

Cochrane got his start in pro baseball in the Eastern Shore League in 1923 with the Dover Senators. Mickey hit .327 with five home runs. He spent the next season in the Pacific Coast League and batted .333 with 7 homers and 56 RBI for the Portland Beavers. When he came up from the minors, he was a poor defensive catcher and learned the ropes from Cy Perkins, the incumbent with the Philadelphia Athletics. Apparently, one day early in 1925 when Cochrane got a pinch hit to win the game, Perkins was heard to say, "There goes Cy Perkins's job."

Cochrane quickly became one of the best hitters in baseball, and he won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1928 (despite hitting .293, one of only four times in his career he was below .300). During his time in Philadelphia, the club reached the World Series three times and won two, and he handled legendary pitchers including Hall of Famer Lefty Grove.

After the 1933 season, Cochrane was traded to the Detroit Tigers, where he became the club's player-manager. In his first year there, he led the team to the AL pennant and won the AL MVP. The next season, his Tigers won the World Series, defeating the Chicago Cubs. He remained the Tigers manager in 1936 but moved into a reserve role on the field.

On May 25, 1937, Cochrane's playing career came to an abrupt end when his skull was fractured by a pitch thrown by Bump Hadley of the New York Yankees. After being unconscious for ten days, he recovered enough to return as manager in 1938 but never played again.

Later on, Cochrane spent time as General Manager of the Athletics, a scout for the Yankees and Tigers, and a coach for the 1950 Philadelphia Athletics.

Away from the diamond, Cochrane was a lieutenant in World War II; he entered military service in 1942 with the US Navy and managed the Service All-Stars at Cleveland on July 7, 1942. He managed the Great Lakes team from 1942 to 1944. Then he went to Gab Gab Beach, Guam to head the fleet recreational center.

Bill James ranks Cochrane as the 4th best catcher of all time and the 72nd best player in the second edition of the Bill James Historical Abstract. He is also highlighted in Heroes Behind the Mask as one of the top catchers of all-time.

[edit] Notable Achievements

• 2-time AL All-Star (1934 & 1935)
• 2-time AL MVP (1928 & 1934)
• AL On-Base Percentage Leader (1933)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1932)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1932)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 4 (1929, 1930, 1932 & 1933)
• Won three World Series with the Philadelphia Athletics (1929 & 1930) and the Detroit Tigers (1935)
• AL Pennants: 2 (1934 & 1935)
• Managed one World Series Champion with the Detroit Tigers in 1935
• 100 Wins Seasons as Manager: 1 (1934)
• Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1947

AL MVP
1927	1928	1929
Lou Gehrig	Mickey Cochrane	No Award
1933	1934	1935
Jimmie Foxx	Mickey Cochrane	Hank Greenberg

Preceded by Bucky Harris

Detroit Tigers Manager 1934-1938

Succeeded by Del Baker

[edit] Further Reading

• Charle Beavis: Mickey Cochrane: The Life of a Baseball Hall of Fame Catcher, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 1998.

[edit] Related Sites