That was a different story. It was widely accepted he did beat up a heckler who had lost part of his hands in an industrial accident.
This game was set in New York City at Hilltop Park which was opened in 1903, hosting the Highlanders until October of 1912, sitting in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan.
On this particular Wednesday at Hilltop Park, Ty Cobb lunged into the stands and physically attacked one of the New York fans; a man by the name of Claude Lucker.
Apparently, Cobb was familiar with this fan, who he claimed in his memoirs, “had ridden me hard in past New York appearances.”
During the May 15 game, Cobb and Lucker reportedly exchanged insults and it go so bad after the second inning that it caused Cobb to stay in an area beyond center field rather than return to the dugout.
But the time came when it was Cobb’s turned to bat, so he had to return to the dugout to get ready for his plate appearance in the fourth inning. Upon entering the dugout, Cobb shot off an insult at Lucker while Lucker continued to insult and taunt Cobb.
When asked by one of his teammates what he was going to do about the heckling fan, Ty Cobb leaped into the stands and went after Lucker, who was about 12 rows back. Cobb persisted to knock Lucker down and began kicking and punching him.
Making matters worse, Claude Lucker was a man who had lost eight fingers due to an industrial accident and was limited in his ability to defend himself against Cobb’s attack.
Fans yelled to Cobb “He has no hands!”, but Cobb replied, “ I don’t care if he has no feet,” as he continued to punch and kick him until the two men were separated.