August 19

The man known as “the Georgia Peach” reached a major milestone on this day in 1921. At age 34, baseball great and Georgia native Ty Cobb got career hit number 3,000, the youngest player to reach that plateau.

Cobb was born in Narrows, Georgia, in 1886 and grew up in nearby Royston. He joined the Detroit Tigers in 1905 and over 23 seasons became one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He set 90 major league records during his career, including most hits, runs, games played, at–bats, and stolen bases. Though many of his records have fallen, two are virtually untouchable: a batting average over .300 for 22 consecutive seasons and twelve batting titles. He also had a career average of .367. In 1936, he became the first player voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Despite his skills, Cobb was unpopular with other players. He was hot-tempered. “Baseball is a red–blooded sport,” he said. “Mollycoddles had better stay out.”

That fiery spirit took Cobb from Georgia to Cooperstown, with a stop at 3,000–hits on August 19, 1921, Today in Georgia History.