Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1936

One of baseball's greatest hitters, Ty Cobb played from 1905 until 1928, and has the highest career batting average at .366. He held other important records when he retired, single-season stolen bases, and career hits and runs scored.

Cobb won twelve American League batting titles and the MVP award in 1911. He played in 3 straight World Series from 1907-1909, but never won.

Driven to succeed, Cobb worked hard year round and played with everything he had. He did not get along with many, including his own teammates, and is remembered as a bad-tempered racist. But he received the most votes in 1936 - 222 out of 226, or 98.2%, so the writers definitely respected his talent on the field.

The man who made the home run famous actually started his career as a pitcher, and a very good one. In 163 games pitched, he went 94-46 with a 2.28 earned run average. Babe Ruth received 95.1 % of the vote to be elected.

Playing from 1914-1935, Ruth led the American League in home runs 12 times, walks 11 times and slugging % 13 times. He won 3 World Series with the Boston Red Sox before famously being sold to the Yankees before the 1920 season. He won 4 more World Series with New York, and hit 60 home runs in 1927, a Major League record that stood for 34 years.

Babe Ruth finished his career with a .342 batting average, and he still has the highest career slugging percentage with .690. His record 714 home runs lasted until 1974, and he held both the single-season and career walks records until 2001.

Seated: Eddie Collins, Babe Ruth, Connie Mack, Cy Young

Standing: Honus Wagner, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Tris Speaker, Nap Lajoie, George Sisler, Walter Johnson

Playing from 1897-1917, Honus Wagner played several positions, and did not become the Pirates' full-time shortstop until 1903. He combined excellent hitting with great speed and range in the field. He appeared on 95.1 % of the ballots to be elected in 1936.

Wagner played for the Louisville Colonels for three years, before moving to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1900. The Pirates won 4 pennants between 1901-1909, and played in 2 World Series, winning one.

Honus Wagner led the National League in batting 8 times, doubles 7 times, steals 5 times, runs batted in 5 times and slugging % 6 times. His greatest season was 1908, when he led in almost every major offensive category, hitting .354 with 19 triples, 109 runs knocked in and 53 steals. When he retired, Wagner had more hits, runs and steals than anyone in National League history.

College-educated Christy Mathewson broke into the National League in 1900, and would pitch until 1916. He had impeccable control, including his "fadeaway" pitch, now better known as a screwball.

He won at least 22 games in twelve straight seasons, including four of 30 or more. He also led the National League in Strikeouts 5 times and ERA 5 times. Mathewson would appear in 4 World Series with the New York Giants, winning in 1905, when he threw three shutouts in 6 days.

Christy Mathewson is third all-time in both wins and shutouts, and he was important in helping to form the players' union in 1912. He received 90.7 % of the vote to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

One of the fastest pitchers of his time, Walter Johnson played 21 seasons for the Washington Senators. He received 83.6 % of the Hall of Fame vote in 1936.

He won the American League MVP twice, and went to two World Series, with the Senators winning in 1924. Johnson led the league in ERA 5 times, shutouts 7 times and strikeouts 12 time.

Nobody threw more than Walter Johnson's 110 career shutouts, and his 3509 strikeouts are good for ninth all-time. His 417 victories are especially impressive, considering the Senators often fell near the bottom of the League.