George Kell | |||
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Third baseman | |||
Born: Swifton, Arkansas |
August 23, 1922|||
Died: March 24, 2009 Swifton, Arkansas |
(aged 86)|||
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MLB debut | |||
September 28, 1943, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
September 14, 1957, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .306 | ||
Hits | 2,054 | ||
Home runs | 78 | ||
Runs batted in | 870 | ||
Teams | |||
Career highlights and awards | |||
Member of the National | |||
Baseball Hall of Fame | |||
Inducted | 1983 | ||
Election Method | Veteran's Committee |
George Clyde Kell (August 23, 1922 – March 24, 2009) was an American Major League Baseball third baseman who played fifteen seasons for the Philadelphia Athletics (1943–46), Detroit Tigers (1947–52), Boston Red Sox (1952–54), Chicago White Sox (1954–56), and Baltimore Orioles (1956–57). Kell went on to become a Detroit Tigers broadcaster for thirty-seven years. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Kell was an All-Star for ten seasons. In 1949, he won the American League (AL) batting title hitting .343 with 59 runs batted in (RBI). In 1950, he hit .340 with 101 RBI and led the AL in hits and doubles. In 1951, he hit .319 with 59 RBI and led the AL in hits, singles, and doubles. He hit .300 or more for nine seasons. Kell also was hard to strike out; he struck out only 287 times in 6,702 at-bats during his career.
In college, Kell played for Arkansas State University, where the baseball facility, Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field, is named after him.
A solid right-handed hitter and a sure-handed fielder, Kell was a 10-time All-Star, batted over .300 nine times and topped the league's third basemen in assists and total chances four times and in fielding percentage seven times. He won his only batting title in 1949 (.343), denying Ted Williams his third Triple Crown; until the final week of the season, Williams had led the batting race. On October 2, 1949, Kell went 2-for-3 while Williams was hitless in two official at bats. Kell's final mark was .3429, Williams's .3427. One year later, Kell batted .340, leading the league with 218 hits and 56 doubles, but lost the batting title to Williams' teammate, Red Sox second baseman Billy Goodman.