July 17, 1961 - Ty Cobb, the No. 1 player elected to baseball's Hall of Fame and one of the greatest stars in the game's history, died at the age of 74 today in Atlanta. The famed Georgia Peach, one of the most feared players in the game because of his daring and his short-fused temper, had suffered from prostate cancer, diabetes and chronic heart disease. After playing 22 years with the Detroit Tigers and two years with the Philadelphia Athletics, Cobb was chosen in 1936 to the Hall of Fame. He beat out Babe Ruth, who was still playing at the time, by seven votes. Tall, tough and fiery, Cobb was noted for the deadly use of his spikes on the base paths, his dramatic base-stealing and his skill at bat. His combined total of 4,065 runs scored and runs batted in is the highest ever produced by any major league player. He holds many other records, including the highest career batting average (.366), most career hits (4,191), most career games played (3,035), most stolen bases (892) and most career batting titles (12).
