Sport: Cochrane Out

• Share

In 1934, the Detroit Tigers paid Connie Mack $100,000 for Mickey Cochrane, baseball's best catcher. In 1935, after he had led the Tigers to two successive American League pennants and the first world championship in its history, Catcher-Manager Mickey Cochrane became the hero of Detroit. In 1936, Manager Cochrane had a nervous breakdown, was away from the bench for six weeks. Last summer a pitched ball fractured his skull, ended his playing career. Last week, Mickey Cochrane, 35, reputedly the highest-salaried ($45,000 a year) manager in the game, was fired.

He was a victim of "baseball," said President Walter O. Briggs (automobile bodies) who became sole owner of the club three years ago, spent $1,000,000 to enlarge the ball park, changed its name from Navin Field to Briggs Stadium. When the Tigers, who had finished second in 1936 and 1937, were still in fifth place last week, it was too much for Owner Briggs.

"I'm just out, that's all," said Mickey Cochrane, almost as stunned as when he was beaned last summer. "Believe me, it was a distinct surprise," said 46-year-old Delmar Baker as he was upped from his third-base coaching job to become the new manager of the Tigers.