start and soon found himself in a severe slump. He went from bad to worse . . . His fielding became as bad as his batting and he appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown . . . The crowds at Briggs Stadium were 'riding' Rudy. Few players in history have ever been 'ridden' harder. They booed him from the time his name was announced in the starting lineup until the last man was out. They booed him every time he came to bat, every time he went after a batted ball, every time he took a throw. The razzing didn't start this year. The fans were ‘aboard’ York last season. He took an unmerciful booing all through 1942, and the booing increased with the start of the present season." York rebounded in the second half of the 1943 season, hitting 17 home runs in August, and ended up leading the American League with 34 home runs, 118 RBIs, a .527 slugging percentage, 67 extra-base hits, and 301 total bases. He was selected to his fifth All-Star team and finished third in the voting for the American League Most Valuable Player award. In 1944, York was selected to the All-Star team for the sixth year, and York ranked among the American League leaders with 18 home runs (third), 98 RBIs (fifth), and 256 total bases (eighth). He also ranked among the league leaders in several defensive categories, both positive and negative, with 17 errors at first base (first), 163 double plays turned at first base (first), 1,453 putouts at all positions (second), and a 10.45 range factor per nine innings at first base. In 1945, he started 155 games at first base for the Tigers team that won the American League pennant and defeated the Chicago Cubs in the 1945 World Series. During the 1945 season, he ranked among the league leaders with 23 double plays grounded into (first), 18 home runs (second), 85 strikeouts (second), 87 RBIs (fourth), 246 total bases (fourth), and 48 extra-base hits (fifth). Defensively, he led all position players with a career-high 1,464 putouts. He also led the league's first basemen with 19 errors. In the 1945 World Series, he had five hits and three RBIs in 28 at bats. On January 3, 1946, with the Tigers' planning to return Hank Greenberg to first base, the Tigers traded York to the Boston