1912–1914 In early September, Veach was purchased by Detroit from Indianapolis. Veach remained the Tigers' starting left fielder for 12 years. Veach also continued to show patience at the plate, drawing 50 bases on balls and ranking fifth in the league with an at bat to strikeout ratio of 18.1. Veach also performed well defensively. His 297 putouts ranked fifth among the league's outfielders, and his .975 fielding percentage also ranked fifth. During the 1915 season,
Baseball Magazine published a five-page feature story on Veach, concluding that "with his advent the Detroit outfield is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, ever assembled on a diamond."
1916–1923 Veach continued his solid hitting from 1915 to 1923, batting over .306 in eight of those nine years. Veach finished among the
American League leaders in hits (8 times),
batting average (6 times), doubles (8 times), triples (8 times),
RBIs (10 times), extra base hits (7 times), and
total bases (8 times). On June 9, 1916, Veach scored a run to end
Babe Ruth's scoreless innings streak at 25. Ruth then evened the score with one of the longest home runs ever at
Navin Field, deep into the right field bleachers. Veach had his best year as a batter in 1919 when he led the
American League in hits (191), doubles (41), and triples (17). Only
Babe Ruth and
Ty Cobb topped him in other offensive categories. His .355 batting average was second to Cobb, and his 65 extra base hits, 101 RBIs, and 279
total bases were second behind Ruth. On September 17, 1920, he became the first Detroit Tiger to
hit for the cycle with six hits in a 12-inning game. In 1921, Veach was the subject of a motivational tactic by new
player-manager Cobb. Cobb believed that Veach, who came to bat with a smile and engaged in friendly conversation with
umpires and opposing pitchers, was too easygoing. Tigers historian
Fred Lieb described Veach as a "happy-go-lucky guy, not too brilliant above the ears", who "was as friendly as a Newfoundland pup with opponents as well as teammates". (Fred Lieb, "
The Detroit Tigers") Hoping to light a fire in Veach, Cobb persuaded
Harry Heilmann, who followed Veach in the
batting order, to taunt Veach from the
on-deck circle. "I want you to make him mad. Real mad. ... [W]hile you're waiting, call him a
yellow belly, a quitter and a dog. ... Take that smile off his face." The tactic may have worked, as Veach had career-highs in RBIs (126) and
home runs (16), and his
batting average jumped from .308 to .338. Cobb had promised to tell Veach about the scheme when the season was over but never did. When Heilmann tried to explain, Veach reportedly snarled, "Don't come sucking around me with that phony line." Veach never forgave Heilmann. In the eight years from 1915 to 1922, Veach had 852 RBIs and 450
extra base hits, more than any other player. The top five in RBI during these eight years: • Bobby Veach – 859 •
Ty Cobb – 665 •
Del Pratt – 641 •
Rogers Hornsby – 638 •
Babe Ruth – 623 The top five in extra base hits: • Veach – 450 • Ruth – 445 • Speaker – 444 • Cobb – 418 • Hornsby – 414
Veach as a left fielder In addition to his batting skills, Veach's speed and strong arm made him a fine
left fielder. He led the American League in games played in left field seven times (1914–1915, 1917–1918, and 1920–1922). He led the American League in
putouts by an outfielder in 1921 with 384. He also led the league in
assists with 26 in 1920. Veach's 206 career assists and 2.28
range factor are among the top 10 in Major League history for left fielders. Though left fielders generally receive fewer fielding
chances than other outfielders, Veach regularly covered more ground and accepted more chances than the league average for all outfielders. His 1921 range factor of 2.72 is one of the highest season totals for a left fielder in Major League history. His 384 putouts in 1921 and 26 assists in 1920 are also among the highest by a left fielder since 1900. Veach's range as an outfielder is also shown by a comparison with
Ty Cobb, the center fielder he played beside for most of his career. In 1914, Veach had 282 putouts and 22 assists, compared to 177 and 8 for Cobb. Though center fielders typically receive more chances, and Cobb had a reputation as a fine center fielder, Veach bested Cobb in chances in seven of the nine years they played side by side in the Detroit outfield: 1914 (304–185), 1916 (356–343), 1918 (291–237), 1919 (352–291), 1920 (383–254), 1921 (405–328), and 1922 (391–344).
Boston and New York In 1923, Veach continued to hit for average at .321, but his
RBI production dropped to 39. Likely his most noteworthy contribution was in spotting the talent of
Charlie Gehringer in a sandlot game that saw him arrange a tryout with Detroit; Gehringer subsequently had a Hall of Fame career with the Tigers. In January 1924, the Tigers sold Veach to the
Boston Red Sox. That year, Veach regained his power, with 49
extra base hits and 99 RBIs. In May 1925, the Red Sox traded Veach to the
New York Yankees. He played 56 games for the Yankees, batting .353 with a .474 slugging percentage. On August 9, 1925, in his final season, Veach became one of two players to pinch hit for
Babe Ruth in the years after Babe switched from a pitcher to an outfielder. The
Chicago Tribune reported the next day: "The fans were treated to the unusual spectacle of His Royal Highness being yanked for a
pinch hitter."
Washington The Yankees released Veach less than two weeks later, and he was picked up by the
Washington Senators. This proved to be good luck for Veach, as the Senators won the 1925 pennant. On September 19, 1925, Veach broke up
Ted Lyons's bid for a
no-hitter with a two-out ninth-inning single. The young
Goose Goslin got the start for the Senators at left field, but Veach got one at bat in the World Series pinch-hitting for
Muddy Ruel in Game 2. Fittingly, Veach collected an
RBI on a
sacrifice fly in his final Major League at bat.
Last baseball days After ending his Major League career in 1925, Veach played four seasons with the
Toledo Mud Hens of the
American Association from 1926 to 1929. In 1927, a 39-year-old Veach led the Mud Hens (with manager
Casey Stengel) to their first American Association crown with a 101–67 record. Veach had a .363 batting average and drove in a league-leading 145
RBIs. The next year, at age 40, Veach hit .382 to capture the 1928 American Association batting crown. ==Career statistics==