Final Years and Hall of Fame
| Charlie Gehringer's number 2 was retired by the Detroit Tigers in 1983. |
Although he missed a number of games in the 1939 and 1940 seasons, he continued to hit above .300, batting .325 in 1939 and .313 in 1940. The 1940 season also saw the Tigers return to the World Series after four straight years of dominance by the Yankees. Gehringer finished 14th in the MVP voting in 1939 and dropped to 23rd in 1940. Gehringer hit .214 in 28 at bats in a losing effort in the 1940 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
In 1941, Gehringer’s 17 seasons began to catch up with him. His batting average dropped almost 100 points to .220, but with 95 walks (5th-best in the American League) his on base percentage remained high at .363. In 1942, Gehringer lost the starting second baseman’s job to a young Billy Hitchcock. Gehringer played only three games at 2nd base in 1942, finding himself relegated to a pinch-hitting role. He hit .267 with a .365 on base percentage in his final year.
Gehringer enlisted in the U.S. Navy after the 1942 season. He served three years, and was released in 1945.
Gehringer considered making a comeback at age 41. “I came out of the service in such good shape that I felt I could've played a few years.” Instead, Gehringer went into business selling fabrics to automobile manufacturers.
In 1949, Gehringer was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers. Gehringer received 159 votes on 187 ballots (85.03%).
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