Inside baseball: Tubby Spencer

Feb 1, 2015 at 5:26 pm

[
          {
            "name": "GPT - Leaderboard - Inline - Content",
            "component": "35519556",
            "insertPoint": "5th",
            "startingPoint": "3",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "3",
            "maxInsertions": 100
          }
          
        ]

Here's an interesting baseball tidbit, if a bit out of season on this snowy Sunday: Tubby Spencer died 70 years ago tomorrow. And it was almost 100 years ago that he played for the Tigers.

Why bring up old Tubby, aside from the anniversary of his death? Well, it's a notable fact that, during his 1917 season with the Tigers, he led the American League in being hit by pitches, taking a total of nine balls to the body. That's toughness. And there's something about a guy taking hits that recalls the great city of Detroit. Maybe it's all those hits we've taken ourselves over the years, but if it advances the game, it wasn't all in vain.

So, 70 years after you've hit those great shower stalls in the sky, thanks, Tubby.

Tags:

Arts Tiger baseball

About The Author

Michael Jackman

Born in 1969 at Mount Carmel hospital in Detroit, Jackman grew up just 100 yards from the Detroit city line in east Dearborn. Jackman has attended New York University, the School of Visual Arts, Northwestern University and Wayne State University, though he never got a degree. He has worked as a bar back, busboy,...