Gordon Stanley Cochrane was born in 1903. After graduating from Boston University he signed a minor league baseball contract with the Portland Beavers. Within a year, 22 year old Gordon made his big league debut in 1925 with Philadelphia. He quickly secured the starting catcher spot and in May of his rookie year hit three home runs in one game to tie a Major League record.

Within a year, many considered Cochrane the best catcher in baseball. In 1928 he won the American League MVP award. Philadelphia won the pennant in 1929, 1930 and 1931 with Cochrane batting .331, .357 and .349 in those respective years. Cochrane and Philadelphia won the World Series in 1929 and 1930.

In 1934 Cochrane was sold to the Detroit Tigers and became player-manager. Under Cochrane the Tigers won their first pennant in 25 years. In 1934 Lou Gehrig won the batting Triple Crown but it was Cochrane who was selected MVP. In 1935 the Tigers won the World Series – defeating the Chicago Cubs.

During a Tigers-Yankees game when Babe Ruth had a scheduled day off, the Babe chose to sit with Gordon in the opposing dugout. Cochrane was also a close friend of Ty Cobb and was one of three major leaguers to attend Cobb’s funeral.

On May 25, 1937 in a game at Yankee Stadium, Cochrane was hit in the head by a pitch that fractured his skull. In those days batters did not wear helmets.

Cochrane spent a week in the hospital and almost died. He would never play baseball again. He finished the 1937 season as manager but left the Tigers in 1938.

Gordon Cochrane completed his career with a lifetime batting average of .320 (a record for MLB catchers until 2009). His .419 on base percentage is highest all-time among catchers. In 1947 Cochrane was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

After the United States became involved in World War II, a 39-year-old Cochrane joined the Navy at Great Lakes. This was his first taste of living in our area. Lieutenant Cochrane served in the South Pacific and also managed the Great Lakes baseball team and coached the football team.

After the war, Cochrane lived with his family in a house at 1360 West Everett Road in Lake Forest and later on Sheridan Road in Lake Bluff.

Cochrane battled lymphatic cancer and died in Lake Forest Hospital in 1962, he was just 59 years old.

Both sides of Cochrane’s family tree were Scottish but the press dubbed him “Mickey” believing that he was just another Irish “Mick”. Cochrane’s baseball friends called him Mike and his family called him Gordon. Ironically, Yankee Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle was named for him.