George Kell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids George Kell |
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Kell in 1953
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| Third baseman | |||
| Born: August 23, 1922 Swifton, Arkansas, U.S. |
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| Died: March 24, 2009 (aged 86) Swifton, Arkansas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 28, 1943, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 14, 1957, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .306 | ||
| Hits | 2,054 | ||
| Home runs | 78 | ||
| Runs batted in | 870 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 1983 | ||
| Election Method | Veterans Committee | ||
George Clyde Kell (born August 23, 1922 – died March 24, 2009) was a famous American baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman from 1943 to 1957. He is best known for playing with the Detroit Tigers. Kell was an All-Star player many times. He also won the American League (AL) batting championship in 1949.
Kell was chosen for the All-Star team ten times. He hit over .300 in nine different seasons. His career batting average was .306, which is very good! He was also great at fielding. He led all third basemen in fielding percentage seven times. Kell didn't hit many home runs, but he was excellent at making contact with the ball. He rarely struck out, only 287 times in his whole career.
He played for several teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Baltimore Orioles. After he stopped playing, Kell became a TV sports commentator for the Detroit Tigers for 37 years. He was honored by being put into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
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George Kell: A Baseball Legend
George Kell played college baseball at Arkansas State University. The baseball field there, called Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field, is named after him.
Kell was a ten-time All-Star. He batted over .300 nine times. He also led the league's third basemen in assists and total chances four times. He led in fielding percentage seven times.
Starting with the Athletics
Kell began his MLB career with the Philadelphia Athletics. He played his first game on September 28, 1943. He was the starting third baseman.
In 1944, he played 139 games for the Athletics. He batted .268 and had 138 hits. He also received some votes for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. The next year, he improved his batting average to .272 with 154 hits.
Becoming a Star with the Tigers
In 1946, Kell was traded to the Detroit Tigers. This happened on May 18. He quickly became a top player in the American League. He finished the year with a .322 batting average, which was fourth best. He also had 168 hits.
On September 20, 1946, Kell had an amazing game. He got 6 hits out of 7 tries. He also scored 4 runs and had 3 runs batted in (RBI). He led the league's third basemen in putouts, assists, and fielding percentage that year.
In 1947, Kell played 152 games and hit .320. He had 188 hits. This earned him his first All-Star selection. He also finished 5th in the MVP voting. In 1948, he was injured and played only 92 games. But he still hit .304 and was an All-Star again.
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| George Kell was honored alongside the retired numbers of the Detroit Tigers in 2000. |
Kell had his best year in 1949. He won his only batting title by hitting .343. He barely beat Ted Williams, who was also a great hitter. Kell had 179 hits and walked 71 times. He only struck out 13 times all season!
In 1950, Kell hit .340. He led all of MLB with 218 hits and 56 doubles. He scored 114 runs and had 101 RBI. His 56 doubles were the most by a Tiger player since 1936.
He led the league in hits again in 1951 with 191 hits. He also had 36 doubles and batted .319. This was his last full year with the Tigers. In 1952, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox.
Playing for Other Teams
After the Tigers, Kell played for the Boston Red Sox. Then, in 1954, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox. He played mostly at third base and first base for them. In 1955, he played 128 games. He batted .312 with 81 RBIs.
In 1956, Kell was traded again, this time to the Baltimore Orioles. He played alongside Brooks Robinson, another future Hall of Famer. Kell batted .271 that year and made his ninth All-Star team.
He finished his career in 1957. He hit .297 in 99 games. During this year, he got his 2,000th career hit. He also made another All-Star team.
In his career, Kell batted .306. He had 78 home runs and 870 runs batted in. He also had 2054 hits and 385 doubles. Kell played 1,795 games. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Life After Baseball
After retiring as a player, George Kell became a play-by-play announcer. He worked for CBS television in 1958. Then he became a TV commentator for the Detroit Tigers from 1959 to 1996. He often worked with fellow Hall of Famer Al Kaline. Kell retired from broadcasting after the 1996 season.
Kell also served on the Arkansas State Highway Commission for ten years. He owned a car dealership called George Kell Motors. His brother, Skeeter Kell, also played baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1952.
George Kell and his wife Charlene were married for 50 years. She passed away in 1991.
Death
George Kell passed away peacefully in his sleep on March 24, 2009. He was 86 years old. He died in his hometown of Swifton, Arkansas.
Amazing Achievements
- 10-time All-Star (1947–54, 1956–57)
- Eight years in a row hitting over .300 (1946–53)
- AL batting champion in 1949, leading all of MLB in batting average
- Holds the record for the fewest strikeouts for a batting champion (only 13 in 1949)
- Led the league in hits and doubles twice (1950–51)
- Hit for the cycle (meaning he hit a single, double, triple, and home run in one game) on June 2, 1950
- Had 6 hits in one game on September 20, 1946
- Finished in the top 10 for AL MVP voting three times (1947, 1949, 1950)
See also
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders
- List of Major League Baseball doubles records
- List of Major League Baseball single-game hits leaders
