On June 27, 1967 Al Kaline breaks his hand as he slams his bat into the bat rack after being struck out by Sam McDowell as the 2nd-place Tigers lose to Cleveland, 8 – 1. The future Hall of Famer will miss 28 games. Kaline was off to his best start in his career hitting .328 and leading the team with 53 RBI’s and 14 homeruns.
Kaline, at 20 the youngest player ever to win the American League batting title, has a history of severe injuries. In 1962, with Detroit battling, the New York Yankees for the pennant, he suffered a dislocated shoulder making a game-saving catch in Yankee Stadium, and was lost for 50 games. He was out a dozen games in 1959 with a fractured cheekbone, lost 28 games in 1965 with; a bad foot and a rib injury, and, underwent surgery in October., 1965 for a chronic foot malformation.