The battle to be the youngest player ever to win a batting title was much like a batting race itself – it came down to the last day. For a long time, 38 years to be exact, Hall-of-Famer Ty Cobb held the distinction. When he won his first batting title in 1907, he was but a child at 20 years old. Of course, the Georgia Peach went on to prove his worth with 11 more crowns in 21 years. Twenty-five years after his retirement, another Tigers outfield phenom rose to challenge Cobb’s mark. Al Kaline made his debut for Detroit in 1953, at the tender age of 18. Though he treaded water for two years, he made his presence felt in 1955, hitting .340 and winning the batting title. Like Cobb, Kaline was 20 years old at the time. Like Cobb, Kaline’s birthday was in December. The race to be the youngest batting champ in history did indeed come down to one day. In a photo finish, Kaline’s December 19th birthday beat out Cobb’s December 18th birthday by the smallest of margins. Kaline’s record stands to this day, probably until another Tigers outfielder with a December 20th birthday breaks it.
