When Ty Cobb went off to play semi-pro baseball as a youth, his father told him, "Don't come back a failure." Cobb didn't. He soon went into professional baseball and quickly made the Detroit Tigers. Cobb was often ornery and sometimes violent. Even in this photo, unlike his two more relaxed Detroit Tiger teammates, Cobb is standing with his arms crossed, possibly in a bad mood. In 1905, Cobb's father was shot to death by Cobb's mother in an act she claimed was an attempt to shoot a suspected prowler. Ty never fully got over the shock and sadness of that incident, and he sometimes said that he played so hard to please his deceased father. Cobb was a combative player, often hated by the opposition and even disliked by some of his teammates. Cobb has the highest lifetime batting average of all-time at .367. Cobb once held the season stolen base record until it was broken by Maury Wills, and Ty also held the lifetime stolen base record until it was broken by Lou Brock. He won 12 American League batting championships, a record. The Tigers had their greatest success with Cobb from 1907-1909 when they won three consecutive World Series. In recent years, evidence has surfaced that details Cobb's more humanitarian side as he quietly financially aided many former players. Cobb was one of five inaugural inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The circa 1920s Type I original photo has been graded by PSA as AUTHENTIC.