Dutch Leonard joined the Detroit Tigers in 1919 after six seasons in Boston. Leonard enjoyed marginal success with the Red Sox. Once he became a Tiger, he clashed with Ty Cobb. Their feud dated to 1914 and Tiger management should not have been acquired him. In the end, Leonard accused Cobb of fixing games to gain vengeance against the player-manager whom he believed ruined his career.
Left-hander Dutch Leonard set the modern record for lowest ERA in history. In 1914, he posted a 0.96 ERA and won 19 games. He started only 25 of his 36 appearances. From 1913-1917, he posted a sub-2.40 ERA every season. He also threw two no-hitters and defeated Grover Alexander in a World Series duel. In 1918, his ERA “ballooned” to 2.72 and the Red Sox traded him to the Yankees. The Tigers purchased him from New York in May 1919.
Ty Cobb ruled Detroit in 1919 and had a history with Leonard. In 1914, The Georgia Peach accused the pitcher of cowardice after an incident at first base. The outfielder dropped a bunt and Leonard rushed to cover first. However, the pitcher gave the Tiger a wide berth angering Cobb. Rather than run to the bag, Cobb ran toward Leonard. The pitcher ran to the Boston dugout and safety.
The two men seemingly coexisted together as teammates until Cobb took over the managerial reigns in 1921. Cobb went out of his way to fine Leonard for breaking curfew. The Tiger manager liked to torment Leonard. The relationship worsened when Cobb and Leonard fought over how to pitch to batters. After a heating exchange, Leonard quit, but the Tigers retained his rights. As a result, Leonard had to pitch for Detroit if he wished to remain in the majors. Rather than deal with Cobb, the pitcher went to an independent league.
Leonard did not enjoy the same success in Detroit that he had in Boston. This may have as much to do with the switch to the live ball after 1919 as with anything else. In 1919, he went 14-13 with a 2.77 ERA. In 1920, his ERA increased dramatically to 4.33 and his record sunk to 10-17. He remained a sub-.500 pitcher in 1921 going 11-13, but his ERA improved to 3.75.
After spending two seasons in exile in the San Joaquin Valley League, he returned to Detroit. The feud between the two resumed. He only appeared in nine games in 1924. The next season, Leonard enjoyed his best season in years with an 11-4 record. Despite the success, Cobb accused Leonard of not putting forth his best effort and scolded the pitcher in front of the team. Leonard complained that Cobb overworked him. In response, the manager left the pitcher on the mound to take a beating. He lost the game 12-4 and surrendered 20 hits increasing Leonard’s ERA to 4.51. After the game, Leonard refused to play for Cobb. The Tigers released him. Interestingly, no team picked him up and he never pitched in the majors again.
The feud continued after Leonard’s departure. He promised to “ruin” Cobb and contacted the commissioner with allegations that his nemesis fixed games with Tris Speaker in 1919. According to Leonard, the two Hall of Famers agreed to let the Tigers win a game between Detroit and Cleveland so the team could finish third and earn a bonus. The former pitcher supplied letters by Cobb and Smokey Joe Wood that allegedly referred to fixing games. Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis made the letters public in December 1926.
The commissioner compelled Cobb to testify before him. The outfielder denied the allegations and accused Leonard of being a lazy communist. Leonard refused to appear before the commissioner fearing for his personal safety. The feud had come full circle with Leonard running away from Cobb. The commissioner found Speaker and Cobb innocent of the charges and the affair ended there. Leonard moved to California, far from Detroit, and became a wine maker.
Ty Cobb and Dutch Leonard entered into a feud that ran hot and cold for over a decade. Cobb believed Leonard a lazy coward and a “Bolshevik.” Leonard feared Cobb and resented his treatment of him. As a result of the feud, Leonard ended up blackballed from Major League Baseball and rumors persist to this day about Cobb’s alleged ties to gamblers and fixing games.
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