Rudolph Preston York was born August 17, 1913 at Ragland, Alabama. Rudy joined the Detroit Tigers in 1934, earning wide acclaim during his 1937 to 1945 tenure with the club. When they won the 1940 pennant, York had 34 home runs, drove in 131 runs, and compiled a batting average of .316. In 1946 he was traded to the Boston Red Sox where he aided them in winning the pennant. He finished baseball with Chicago in 1947 and Philadelphia in 1948. He died on February 6, 1970.