an "unnatural cycle") – starting with a home run, followed by triple, then a double and finally a single. He continued his hot hitting with a 27-game streak in April and May, and his fast start put him in the 1937 All-Star Game, although he did not appear in the game. He ended 1937 with a career-high 18 HR, 113 RBIs and .335 average. Despite Walker's strong performance that year, the Tigers (reportedly unhappy with his antics) traded him after the season. They sent two of their most popular players, Walker and Marv Owen, to the White Sox for Vern Kennedy, Tony Piet and Dixie Walker. The trade caused an uproar with Tiger fans, and owner Walter Briggs was forced to issue an announcement from his Miami home that "the deal was made with my approval." Walker continued to hit well for several years afterward, but was traded four more times. In December 1939, he was traded to the Washington Senators for Pete Appleton and Taffy Wright. In December 1940, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Doc Cramer and then sent to the Cleveland Indians. While playing for the Cincinnati Reds in 1942, in the second game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 30, Walker collided in the outfield with fellow Mississippi native Harry Craft, and both were unable to finish the game. Their injuries led to the major league debut of Clyde Vollmer the next day. Later years After retiring as a player, Walker served for a year as a coach for the Cincinnati Reds, in 1946. Walker died in 1981 at Mississippi State Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, one day after his birthday, at age 73 after a long illness. He was survived by four sons, a daughter and two brothers, one of whom, Hub Walker, was also a former major league outfielder, with Detroit and Cincinnati. See also List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle References Further reading External links 1908 births 1981 deaths Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Cleveland Indians players American football halfbacks Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds coaches Cincinnati Reds players Detroit Tigers players Washington Senators (1901–1960) players Ole Miss Rebels baseball players Ole Miss Rebels football players Minor league baseball managers Fort Smith