Graveyard Greats: Hunting down tombstones of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and other baseball legends

The baseball season is roughly bookended by Easter and Halloween, with the Fourth of July as its midpoint. Each of the three holidays mark a great time to visit a few cemeteries to hunt down gravesites of the sport’s legendary players.

Working our way across the country from east to west, we’ve compiled a list of graveyards where you will find the tombstones of Babe Ruth, Billy Martin, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb, Cy Young, Tris Speaker, Hank Greenberg and Joe DiMaggio.

George Herman Ruth
February 6, 1895 — August 16, 1948
Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, New York
Section 25, Plot 1115, center of graves 3 and 4

Ruth established many MLB batting (and some pitching) records, including career home runs (714), runs batted in (2,213), bases on balls (2,062), slugging percentage (.690), and on-base plus slugging (1.164); the latter two still stand today. [Wikipedia]

⚾ ⚾ ⚾

Alfred Manuel Martin
May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989
Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, New York
Section 25, Plot 21, Grave 3

As Yankees manager, Martin led the team to consecutive American League pennants in 1976 and 1977; the Yankees were swept in the 1976 World Series by the Cincinnati Reds, but triumphed over the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the 1977 World Series. [Wikipedia]

⚾ ⚾ ⚾

Henry Louis Gehrig
June 19, 1903 – June 2, 194
Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, New York
Section 93, Lot 12686

Gehrig was an All-Star seven consecutive times, a Triple Crown winner once, an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player twice, and a member of six World Series champion teams for the New York Yankees. [Wikipedia]

⚾ ⚾ ⚾

Jack Roosevelt Robinson
January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972
Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York
Section 6, Lot: West Half Of P, Grave 8

Robinson broke the baseball color line when the Brooklyn Dodgers started him at first base on April 15, 1947. The Dodgers, by signing Robinson, heralded the end of racial segregation in professional baseball. [Wikipedia]

⚾ ⚾ ⚾

Tyrus Raymond Cobb
December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961
Rose Hill Cemetery, Royston, Georgia

In 1936, Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. The longtime Detroit Tigers center fielder received 222 out of a possible 226 votes (98.2%). [Wikipedia]

⚾ ⚾ ⚾

Denton True Young
March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955
Peoli Cemetery, Peoli, Ohio

Young compiled 511 wins, which is most in Major League history and 94 ahead of Walter Johnson who is second on the list. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.

⚾ ⚾ ⚾

Tristram Edgar Speaker
April 4, 1888 — December 8, 1958
Fairview Cemetery, Hubbard, Texas
Section 1, Block 2

Speaker holds career records for assists, double plays, and unassisted double plays by an outfielder. His fielding glove was known as the place “where triples go to die.” [Wikipedia]

⚾ ⚾ ⚾

Henry Benjamin Greenberg
January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986
Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, California
Courts Of The Book Lawn Crypt, Sec. V, Isaiah, 1st Level

Greenberg was the first major league player to hit 25 or more home runs in a season in each league, and remains the AL record-holder for most RBIs in a single season by a right-handed batter (183 in 1937, a 154-game schedule). [Wikipedia]

⚾ ⚾ ⚾

Joseph Paul DiMaggio
November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999
Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma, California
Section I, Row 11 Area 6/7

DiMaggio was a three-time MVP winner and an All-Star in each of his 13 seasons. During his tenure with the Yankees, the club won ten American League pennants and nine World Series championships. [Wikipedia]