April 26, 1904: Ty Cobb, 17, plays first professional game in Augusta

APRIL 26, 1904

In his first professional baseball game, a 17-year-old Ty Cobb would go 2-for-4 with a double and a home run, but his Augusta team lost to Columbia 8-7 at old Warren Park.

Cobb went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics, setting scores of major league records for hitting and base stealing. His lifetime batting average (.366) remains the best of all time.

Most consider him one of baseball's greatest players. However, he was remembered for a fierce and sometimes vicious competitive streak.

Cobb would marry the daughter of a prominent Augusta businessman and purchase his first house on William Street near today's Summerville Campus of Augusta University.

A shrewd investor, he made a fortune outside of baseball and used it to fund a hospital and set up scholarships for young people.