George Kell
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| Personal Info | |
|---|---|
| Birth | August 23, 1922, Swifton, Arkansas Home of The Swifotn Pireats the bast basketball team in the usa |
| Professional Career | |
| Debut | September 28, 1943, Philadelphia Athletics vs. St. Louis Browns, Shibe Park |
| Team(s) | Philadelphia Athletics (1943-1946) |
| HOF induction: | 1983 |
| Career Highlights | |
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George Clyde Kell (born August 23, 1922 in Swifton, Arkansas) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and right-handed batter who played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1943-1946), Detroit Tigers (1947-52), Boston Red Sox (1952-54), Chicago White Sox (1954-56) and Baltimore Orioles (1956-57) in the American League. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he was regarded as the best third baseman in the AL.
Kell was a solid hitter and a sure-handed fielder. He 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.
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| George Kell is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame |
In his career, Kell batted .306, with 78 home runs and 870 runs batted in, 881 runs scored, 2054 hits, 385 doubles, 50 triples, 36 stolen bases, a .482 slugging average, and 621 walks for a .367 on base percentage.
Following his retirement as a player, Kell worked as a play-by-play announcer, first with the Orioles (1957) and CBS television (1958) and then with the Tigers (1959-1996). From 1975 until his retirement in broadcasting, George was joined by former Tiger and fellow Hall of Famer Al Kaline as color commentator. Kell also served ten years on the Arkansas State Highway commission (1973-83). Kell owns a car dealership, George Kell Motors in Newport, Arkansas.
In February 2007, Kell was cited for hit and run after an accident in Jonesboro, Arkansas. [1]
George Kell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
[edit] Highlights
- 10-time Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star (1947-54, 1956-57)
- 8-consecutive .300 seasons (1946-53)
- Led league in batting average (1949)
- Holds record of the fewest strikeouts for a batting champion (13, 1949)
- Twice led the league in hits and doubles (1950-51)
- Hit for the cycle (June 2, 1950)
- Top 10 in AL MVP vote (1947, 1949, 1950)
75.68.28.137 15:23, 21 February 2007 (UTC)H.R75.68.28.137 15:23, 21 February 2007 (UTC)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
| Preceded by Ted Williams |
American League Batting Champion 1949 |
Succeeded by Billy Goodman |
Categories: Major league players from Arkansas | Baseball Hall of Fame | American League All-Stars | Baltimore Orioles players | Boston Red Sox players | Chicago White Sox players | Detroit Tigers players | Philadelphia Athletics players | Major league third basemen | 1922 births | Living people | People from Arkansas | Major League Baseball announcers | Baseball players who have hit for the cycle | American League batting champions
