Cobb’s last cuts

Ty Cobb in 1928 with the Philadelphia Athletics

Ty Cobb takes his final swing in the major leagues 97 years ago today.

Cobb, then with the Philadelphia Athletics, is playing out his 24-year, Hall of Fame career as a pinch-hitter for Jimmy Dykes to start the ninth inning of the Athletics’ game at Yankee Stadium.

Against the backdrop of an estimated crowd of 50,000 for a Tuesday afternoon matinee, Cobb faces Yankees starter Hank Johnson in a ballpark where he holds a .367 lifetime batting average.

Hank Johnson

And Johnson?

Not so good against the Athletics, against whom he loses 11 of his previous 20 decisions with a hide-the-women-and-children ERA of 6.22.

Even at age 41, Cobb is batting .324 as he steps into the box to face Johnson.

Surely, Cobb – the game’s all-time hits leader at the time with 4,189 of them – would add to his total against the mediocrity that ultimately defines Johnson’s 12-year career.

Instead, Cobb’s final swing produces only an infield pop-up to shortstop Mark Koenig.

Sigh.

Johnson also retires the next two batters – two more pinch-hitters in Eddie Collins and Walt French – to finish off the A’s 5-3 for the 12th victory in a career that will last a dozen seasons and produces a 63-56 record and 4.75 ERA.

Cobb, of course, finishes with a .366 lifetime batting average – the highest of any player in history – those aforementioned 4,189 hits and, eventually, the distinction of being among the first group of players elected to the Hall of Fame.

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