George Kell

At 86 years old, George Kell has this physical status:

George Clyde Kell (August 23, 1922 – March 24, 2009) was an American Major League baseball third baseman who played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1943-1946), the Boston Red Sox (1952–1954), and the Baltimore Orioles (1956–57).

Kell went on to become a Detroit Tigers broadcaster for thirty-seven years.

In 1983, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 1949, he took the American League (AL) batting title, winning by 59 runs batted in (RBI).

He hit.340 with 101 RBI in 1950 and led the AL in hits and doubles.

With 59 RBI and led the AL in hits, singles, and doubles in 1951.

For nine seasons, he was at.300 or more.

During his career, Kell was still difficult to strike out; he struck out only 287 times in 6,702 at-bats.

Personal life

Kell served on the Arkansas State Highway Commission (1973-83) and owned George Kell Motors in Newport, a car dealer.

Everett "Skeeter" Kell's brother, also known as Everett "Skeeter" Kell, played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1952.

Kell and his partner Charlene were married for 50 years before she died of cancer in 1991.

Elmore Leonard, the 1990 anthology Cult Baseball Players, said Kell was his favorite player. Leonard wore a No. 59 as the novelist toss out the first pitch at a Tiger Stadium game on June 15, 1999. In an homage to Kell's (who wore the number for four of his seven seasons) the Tigers gifted him a 21 jersey.

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Baseball career

Kell played for Arkansas State in college, where the baseball team, Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field, is named after him.

Kell, a ten-time All-Star, batted over.300 nine times and led the league's third basemen in assists and total chances four times and in fielding percentage seven times.

In the 1943 season, Kell received a call up to the Philadelphia Athletics as a September call-up. On September 28, he appeared in one game against the St. Louis Browns as the starting third baseman and batted third.

Kell batted.268 in the first year, while receiving only 139 votes for MVP. It was his first season in the top ten in at-bats per strikeout, with 22.3 at-bats per strike out to finish eighth in the American League. He will improve by batting.272 with 154 hits (30 doubles) the following year. In 1946, Kell played 26 games with the Athletics before being traded to Detroit on May 18 for Barney McCosky. With a 3.22% (9th) and on-base percentage for the year (fourth), he was ranked in the top ten for batting average (fourth) and on-base percentage with.382 (9th), he came in second in the American League, with hits (168, 8th). With 15 sacrifice hits, he led the league in sacrifice hits. He appeared in 131 games at third base and led the league in putouts, assists, fielding percentage, and double plays.

He appeared in 152 games in 1947 and finished fifth in MVP voting and his first All-Star pick and fifth in MVP voting. He was hindered by health issues in the 1948 season, playing just 92 games against 112 hits, but he received MVP and All-Star recognition. Williams would return in 1949 with his first and only batting title, batting.343. Dennis Williams had led the batting contest until the final week of the season. Kell went 2-for-3 on October 2, 1949, while Williams was hitless in two official at bats. Kell's final record was.3429, Williams'.3427. With 13 strikeouts, he had 179 hits while walking a career high 71 times.

Kell batted.340, leading the league with 218 hits and 56 doubles, but Williams' teammate, Red Sox second baseman Billy Goodman, lost the batting crown. However, he was leading the league in several categories, playing 157 games despite having 218 hits and 56 doubles for a.982% fielding percentage, his third time he did so. For a second and final time this year, he was in hit for the second and final time this year, with 191 in 147 games to go with 36 doubles in 147 games, with 36 others batting.319. Walt Dropo, Fred Hatfield, Johnny Lipon, and Dizzy Trout were all traded to the Boston Red Sox for 39 games, including Hoot Evers, Johnny Lipon, and Dizzy Trout. Don Lenhardt, Johnny Pesky, and Bill Wight will be his last full year with the Tigers.

During his time in Boston, the team was involved in attempts to steal signs involving the scoreboard, and it wasn't long after (done on May 23, 1954 for Grady Hatton and cash) that the team was questioned about the device. He worked with teammate Bob Kennedy, general manager Frank Lane, and the ballpark crew on a device that lit up a light (i.e. A one or a zero for a certain pitch, but Kennedy had binoculars to see signs. According to reports, the scheme continued long after Kell joined the club in 1956 (the White Sox won the pennant three years later). He spent the 1954 season mostly at third and first base with no time in the outfield. He batted.276 in 97 games. Although he played 128 total games while batting.312 on 51 walks and 36 walks, he maintained his standing for 1955. While being traded by the White Sox after 21 games on May 21, working with Mike Fornieles, Connie Johnson, and Jim Wilson to the Baltimore Orioles in 1956, he went through one more early season trade with 1956, where he played 123 games with 33 walks and 37 strikeouts. He will spend time at third base while still playing time with second-year third baseman and fellow Arkansan Brooks Robinson (also a future Hall of Fame inductees). He batted.271 for the year, with 37 strikeouts to 33 walks, marking his second and last battles with more strikeouts than walks, with the only other one being in 1944, his first full year. He made it to the All-Star Game this year, his ninth pick. In 1956, he was ranked in the top ten for at-bats per strike out, with 11.5 at-bats between strikeouts.

He started his career out in 1957, hitting.297 in 99 games, his 2,000th hit in a year and playing another All-Star Game while striking out 16 times with 25 walks.

Kell batted.306, with 78 home runs and 870 runs batted in, 881 runs batted in, 881 runs scored, 385 doubles, 51 stolen bases, a.414 slugging average, and 621 walks for a.367 on-base percentage. He had a career with a 971% fielding percentage. Kell played 1,795 games, but he never competed for a franchise or the World Series.

In 1983, Kell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. "I have suspected for a long time that George Kell has taken more from this fantastic sport than he'd ever be able to put back," a remark from his induction speech to the Hall of Fame reads. And now, I know I'm more in debt than ever before."

Broadcasting career

Kell played as a player and then went back to work on CBS television (1958) and the Tigers (1959–1963, 1965–1996). With Bob DeLaney, the second 1962 National League tie-breaker series for ABC television, the second 1962 World Series for NBC Radio with Joe Garagiola, and Games 3–5 of the 1968 World Series (for which the Tigers were the home team) for NBC television with Curt Gowdy), Kell also referred to the 1959 National League tie-breaker series for ABC television with Bob DeLaney, the second 1962 National League tie-breaker series for ABC television with Bob Wolff, the 1962 National League tie-breaker series for NBC Radio with Bob DeLaney NBC Television with NBC Radio with Jack Quinlan, the 1962 National League tie-broth for NBC Radio with Joe Garagiola's for NBC Radio with Curt Go NBC Television NBC Television with Curt Gogh NBC Radio with Curt Go for the Home Team NBC Radio with Curt Gothy's for ABC television with Curt Gowdy's for ABC Television NBC Radio with Curt NBC Radio with Bob DeLaney's.

Kell first called Tigers games on both radio and television, thus splitting the play-by-play with Van Patrick (in the 1959 season) and then with Ernie Harwell. Kell briefly resigned from broadcasting after the 1963 season, citing a desire to spend more time at his Arkansas home; after a one-year absence, he was forced to return in 1965 to work the (then-infrequent) TV games exclusively while Harwell did radio. Ray Lane, Larry Osterman, and (beginning in 1975) fellow Hall of Famer and former Tiger Al Kaline as colour commentator, with the latter pair surviving for the remainder of Kell's broadcasting career.

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