March 24 Happy Birthday to Former Tigers or Detroit Wolverines

Jose Valverde

Dick Egan

Dick Kryhoski was part of a long streak on single season first basemen for the Tigers.  In 1940 Rudy York replaced Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg at first base for the Tigers.  The following year Hank went off to the Army and Rudy held the position of first base until Hank got back.  Hank held the position of first for exactly one more year.  After that he was dumped off to the Pittsburgh Pirates due to a misunderstanding by Tiger owner Briggs.  From that point for several years the Tigers could not find a permanent first baseman.  None could last more than one year.  There was Roy Cullenbine, Sam Vico, Aaron Robinson, Don Kolloway and eventually Dick Kryhoski in 1951.  Dick was originally in the Yankees farm system and made his major league debut in 1949.  He was the back first baseman to Hall of Famer Tommy Henrich.  The Yanks went on to the World Series that year but Dick did not get to play in the post season.  At the end of the season the Tigers picked up Dick for outfielder Dick Wakefield who had worn out his welcome in Detroit.  Dick was the back up to Don Kolloway in 1950.  Dick hit only .219 to Don Kolloway’s .289.  In 1951 Dick came out of spring training hot.  By May 25, he was leading the league in batting with a .388 average and had replaced Kolloway as the first baseman.   Dick would keep the first baseman’s job for the season starting 112 games to Don Kolloway’s 59.  But his batting average dropped to .287 for the season.  Don Kolloway, on the other hand hit only .255.  It would be Dick’s last year as a Tiger.  Before the 1952 season started Dick was traded to the St. Browns with Bob Cain and Gene Bearden for Matt Batts, Dick Littlefield, Cliff Mapes and Ben Taylor.  Dick would be the starting first baseman for the Browns and shared first base with Eddie Waitkus for the first season of the Baltimore Orioles who were the St. Louis Browns in 1953.  Eddie is famed for being the inspiration of Bernard Malamud’s book “The Natural” when he was shot by a crazed fan.  The book later became a movie with Robert Redford.  At the end of the 1954 inaugural season of the Orioles, the O’s made a huge deal involving 13 players with the Yankees.  Before the 1955 season even started the Yanks sent Dick off to the new Kansas City Athletics.  It was their inaugural season as they had just moved from Philadelphia.  Dick hit only .213 in 28 games as a back up first baseman.  It was his last season in the majors and his last in pro ball.  When he died in 2007 he lived in Beverly Hills, MI.  As for the Tigers first baseman when Dick left for St. Louis, it was not Don Kolloway, but Walt Dropo.