1949 American League batting race
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George Kell Stats & Facts

 

 

George Kell

Positions: Third Baseman and First Baseman

Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right

5-9, 175lb (175cm, 79kg)

Born: August 23, 1922 in Swifton, AR

Died: March 24, 2009  in Swifton, AR

Buried: Swifton Cemetery, Swifton, AR

High School: Swifton HS (Swifton, AR)

School: Arkansas State University (Jonesboro, AR)

Debut: September 28, 1943 (9,549th in major league history)
vs. SLB 5 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB

Last Game: September 14, 1957
vs. DET 3 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB

Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1983. (Voted by Veteran’s Committee)
View George Kell’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).

Full Name: George Clyde Kell

View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen

View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

Relatives: Brother of Skeeter Kell

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1943

Gil Hodges
George Kell
Andy Pafko
Gene Woodling
Andy Seminick
Cass Michaels
Eddie Stanky
Snuffy Stirnweiss
Mickey Haefner

 

All-Time Teammate Team

Coming Soon

 

Notable Events and Chronology 

 

Biography

Easily the best player to emerge during the WWII player shortage, Kell remained the AL’s premier third baseman long after the war had ended, and eventually earned a spot in the Hall of Fame.
After two seasons as the Athletics’ third baseman, Kell was traded to Detroit for Barney McCosky in May 1946 and became a perennial All-Star. He finished the 1946 season at .322, his first of eight consecutive .300 seasons. He missed 57 games in 1948 due to injuries. He first suffered a broken wrist when hit by a Vic Raschi pitch, and then several weeks later a Joe DiMaggio line drive fractured his jaw.

In 1949, Kell won his only batting title, and in the process denied Ted Williams his third triple crown. Williams had led the batting race until the final week of the season, but Kell came back from an injury to have a hot streak. When Williams went hitless in the season finale, Kell snatched the title, .3429 to .3428. Kell hit .340 the following year, leading the AL with 218 hits and 56 doubles, but lost the batting title to Boston’s Billy Goodman. After leading the league in hits and doubles once again in 1951, Kell was sent to Boston in June 1952 as part of a nine-man deal that included Dizzy Trout, Hoot Evers, Walt Dropo, and Johnny Pesky. His brother, Skeeter, played for the Athletics that season.

George Kell was as gifted in the field as he was at the plate, leading AL third baseman seven times in fielding and four times each in assists and total chances/game. After concluding his career as Baltimore’s third baseman, he was succeeded there by Brooks Robinson. Kell became a Tigers play-by-play man and was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1983.

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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

Played For
Philadelphia Athletics (1943-1946)
Detroit Tigers (1946-1952)
Boston Red Sox (1952-1954)
Chicago White Sox (1954-1956)
Baltimore Orioles (1956-1957)
Similar: Brooks Robinson and Bill Madlock… Kell likely wasn’t quite as a good a fielder as Robinson nor as good a hitter as Madlock, but he wasn’t far off, which is a good combination at third base.

Linked: Ted Williams… Billy Goodman bested Kell for the 1950 batting title, .354 to .340.

Best Season, 1949
Hampered with injuries in September, Kell got hot at the right time, returning to the Tigers’ everyday lineup with a flurry of base hits in the final week of the season to win the batting title. He edged Ted Williams, .3429 to .3428, and denied Williams the triple crown.
All-Star Selections

Factoid
George Kell was named to the All-Star team with four different teams.

Where He Played: Kell was an excellent fielding third baseman, the best in the Al until Brooks Robinson replaced him with the Orioles in 1958. Kell led AL third baseman seven times in fielding and four times each in assists and total chances per game.

Batting Feats
September 20, 1946: 6 Hits…

June 2, 1950: Cycle…

Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
Kell was a beaten and bruised ballplayer in 1948, his sixth season in the major leagues and third with Detroit. Yankees’ pitcher Vic Raschi hit Kell in the wrist with a pitch early in the season, and later a Joe DiMaggio line drive to third base fractured Kell’s jaw and sidelined him the remainder of the campaign. In all, he missed more than 1/3 of the season but still managed to post his third straight .300 season (.304).

Transactions
Kell was traded from the A’s to the Tigers for outfielder Barney McCosky in May of 1946… Dizzy Trout, Hoot Evers, Walt Dropo, and Johnny Pesky were involved in the trade that sent Kell to the Red Sox in June of 1952.

Data courtesy of Restrosheet.org

All-Star Selections
1947 AL
1948 AL
1949 AL
1950 AL
1951 AL
1952 AL
1953 AL
1954 AL
1956 AL
1957 AL

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