Charlie Gehringer is elected to the Hall of Fame

On May 5, 1949, former Detroit Tigers second baseman Charlie Gehringer is elected to the Hall of Fame. “The Mechanical Man” batted over .300 in 13 seasons, including 1937, when he won the American League batting title and MVP Award.

Gehringer played for the Detroit Tigers between 1926 and 1941, is selected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America with 159 votes on 187 ballots. Two days later, the Veterans Committee will select Kid Nichols and Mordecai Brown.