Pat Kelly (outfielder) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pat Kelly
Kelly at bat in 1977
Outfielder
Born: (1944-07-30)July 30, 1944 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died: October 2, 2005(2005-10-02) (aged 61) Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Batted: Left Threw: Left
debut
September 6, 1967, for the Minnesota Twins
Last appearance
October 4, 1981, for the Cleveland Indians
MLB statistics
Batting average	.264
Home runs	76
Runs batted in	418
Teams
Minnesota Twins (1967–1968) Kansas City Royals (1969–1970) Chicago White Sox (1971–1976) Baltimore Orioles (1977–1980) Cleveland Indians (1981)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star (1973)

Harold Patrick Kelly (July 30, 1944 – October 2, 2005) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1967 to 1981. Pat played for the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Cleveland Indians. He batted and threw with his left hand. His brother, Leroy Kelly, was a famous Pro Football Hall of Fame running back.

Pat Kelly grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a top baseball player at Simon Gratz High School. In 1962, he won the Cliveden Award as Philadelphia's best high school athlete. The Twins signed him that year. He spent several seasons playing in the minor leagues.

Kelly made his MLB debut with the Twins in 1967. He played a few games in 1968. Then, the Royals picked him in the 1968 expansion draft. He became a regular player for the Royals for two years. Before the 1971 season, he was traded to the White Sox. He played more as a right fielder and designated hitter there. In 1973, he was chosen for the All-Star Game, his only time.

After the 1976 season, Kelly was traded to the Orioles. He played a lot in left field in 1977 and 1978. Then, he was a bench player for two years. In 1979, he helped the Orioles reach the MLB playoffs. They made it to the World Series but lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates. After one more season with the Indians in 1981, Kelly retired.

In 1975, Kelly found deep faith in Christianity. He became very involved in Christian ministry. He even inspired some of his Oriole teammates to become Christians. After his baseball career, he became an ordained minister. He served in ministries in Baltimore and Cleveland until he passed away in 2005.

Early Life and Baseball Dreams

Harold Patrick Kelly was born on July 30, 1944, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents, Orvin and Argie Kelly, had moved from South Carolina. They settled in the Nicetown neighborhood of northern Philadelphia. Pat was one of nine children.

The Kellys were a faithful Baptist family. They went to Sunday school every week. They were also very athletic. Pat's older brother, Leroy Kelly, became a famous running back for the Cleveland Browns. He was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Pat and Leroy loved to compete. Pat said this helped him become very competitive. Growing up, he went to baseball games at Connie Mack Stadium. His favorite player was Jackie Robinson.

Kelly went to Simon Gratz High School and graduated in 1962. He was chosen for the "All Public" teams in both baseball and football. As a senior, he won the Cliveden Award. This award was for the best high school athlete in Philadelphia. In high school, Kelly was a pitcher. He sometimes got upset after giving up home runs. But his coach, Pete Lorenc, helped him learn discipline.

Starting in the Minor Leagues

On September 11, 1962, Pat Kelly signed his first professional baseball contract. It was with the Minnesota Twins. The Twins decided he would play as an outfielder. In 1963, he played for two Class A teams: the Erie Sailors and the Orlando Twins. Growing up in Philadelphia, Kelly was not used to segregation. In Orlando, he and his Black teammates had to stay in a different hotel from the white players. He later said, "I know those times were hard, but what always kept me going was what Jackie Robinson went through."

In 69 games with Erie, he batted .283. He had 50 runs scored, 70 hits, four home runs, and 30 runs batted in (RBI). With Orlando, he batted .242 in 49 games.

In 1964, Kelly played most of the season for the Wisconsin Rapids Twins. In 104 games, he batted .357. He was third in the league for batting average. He also had 138 hits, 26 doubles, 16 home runs, and 70 RBI. He also played 18 games for the Wilson Tobs.

In 1965, Kelly played the whole season with Wilson. He played 144 games. He batted .283 with 138 hits, four home runs, and 52 RBI. He was fifth in the league with 27 stolen bases. His 101 runs scored were second in the league.

Kelly expected to move up to Class AA in 1966. He was disappointed when the Twins wanted to send him back to Wilson. He told them he would leave if they didn't put him on the Charlotte team. They agreed. That year, he had the second-highest batting average in the league at .321. He also finished second in steals with 52. In 113 games, Kelly scored 74 runs, had 126 hits, three home runs, and 55 RBI.

Playing for the Minnesota Twins

In 1967, Kelly moved up to Class AAA. He spent most of the year with the Denver Bears. He played 65 games, batting .286. He had 42 runs, 70 hits, no home runs, 15 RBI, and 19 stolen bases. That September, he made it to the major leagues for the first time. The Twins called him up when rosters expanded. His first game was on September 6. He was a pinch-runner in a game against the Cleveland Indians. He played eight games, mostly as a pinch-runner. He had one at bat and struck out.

Kelly spent most of the 1968 season in Denver. In 108 games, he had 70 runs, 121 hits, three home runs, and 31 RBI. He finished third in the league with a .306 batting average. He led the league with 38 stolen bases. That September, Minnesota called him up again. He played in 12 games and started nine in the outfield. On September 23, he hit his first major league home run. It was against Clyde Wright in a 3–0 win. With the Twins in 1968, he had four hits in 35 at bats. After the season, he played winter baseball in Venezuela. He batted .342 with 11 home runs and 45 RBI in 60 games.

Joining the Kansas City Royals

While Kelly was in Venezuela, the Kansas City Royals picked him in the 1968 expansion draft. His playing time increased in 1969. He started 106 games in the outfield. His manager, Joe Gordon, said he had improved a lot with the bat. In 112 games, Kelly batted .264. He had 61 runs, 110 hits, eight home runs, and 32 RBI. He stole a career-high 40 bases. After the year, the Royals sent him to their instructional league. This was to help him improve his hitting, bunting, and fielding.

Kelly started 1970 as the Royals' main right fielder. On September 11, he broke up a no-hitter by Vida Blue with a single. In 136 games, Kelly batted .235. He had 56 runs, 106 hits, six home runs, and 38 RBI. He stole 34 bases.

Years with the Chicago White Sox

The Royals traded Kelly to the Chicago White Sox on October 13, 1970. Before playing for the White Sox, Kelly played in Venezuela. He batted .365 with six home runs. The team won the league championship. Kelly hurt his knee in spring training with the White Sox. He was sent to the minor leagues to start the season. He was upset but talked to his brother and got himself together. In 75 games with the Tucson Toros, Kelly batted .355. He had 71 runs, 107 hits, six home runs, 43 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. The White Sox called him up in June. He never played in the minor leagues again. For the rest of his career, he mostly played against right-handed pitchers. In 67 games for the White Sox, he batted .291. He had 32 runs, 62 hits, three home runs, 22 RBI, and 14 stolen bases.

In 1972, Kelly shared right field duties. In a game on August 6, Kelly walked, stole second, and then stole home for the only run of the game. On August 20, he hit a three-run walkoff home run to win a game against the Boston Red Sox. Kelly was good at stealing bases. His "small ball" plays helped the White Sox finish second in their division. In 119 games, Kelly batted .261. He had 57 runs, 105 hits, five home runs, 24 RBI, and 32 stolen bases.

The 1973 season was one of Kelly's best. He started the season hitting very well. He led the major leagues with a .441 batting average at the end of May. A shoulder injury made throwing harder, but it did not stop him from hitting. He was chosen for the AL All-Star team. This was the only time in his career. He played a career-high 144 games. He hit .280 with 77 runs, 154 hits, 24 doubles, one home run, 44 RBI, and 22 stolen bases.

In 1974, Kelly was mostly the designated hitter for the White Sox. On June 24, his single was the first hit off pitcher Steve Busby in 17 innings. He batted .281 in 122 games. He had 60 runs, 119 hits, four home runs, and 21 RBI. He stole 18 bases.

In 1975, Kelly became the White Sox's main right fielder again. In 133 games, he batted .274. He had 73 runs, 129 hits, nine home runs, 45 RBI, and 18 stolen bases.

Kelly returned to the designated hitter role in 1976. In 107 games, Kelly batted .254. He had 42 runs, 79 hits, five home runs, 34 RBI, and 15 stolen bases.

Baltimore Orioles and the World Series

The Baltimore Orioles acquired Kelly from the White Sox on November 18, 1976. With the Orioles, Kelly mostly played left field. He shared time there with Andrés Mora in 1977 and 1978. After a slow start in 1977, Kelly had a 19-game hitting streak. Orioles manager Earl Weaver said Kelly was a great asset to the team.

On June 3, Kelly was part of a very strange triple play. With the bases loaded for the Royals, Kelly caught a fly ball for the first out. The runners tried to advance. Kelly threw the ball, and two more runners were tagged out in a wild play. This ended the game.

In 120 games for the Orioles in 1977, Kelly batted .256. He had 50 runs, 92 hits, 10 home runs, 49 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. In 1978, he played 100 games. He batted .274 with 38 runs, 75 hits, a career-high 11 home runs, 40 RBI, and 10 stolen bases.

In 1979, Kelly mostly played a bench role. But it was one of his best seasons. He had a career-high .536 slugging percentage. He also made several important hits. On May 23, he hit a pinch-hit, walkoff home run to win a game against the Red Sox. Three months later, he hit a grand slam with the bases loaded. This earned him cheers from the fans. In 68 games, Kelly batted .288. He had 25 runs, 44 hits, nine home runs, 25 RBI, and four stolen bases. The Orioles won the AL East title.

In the playoffs, Kelly started three games in the AL Championship Series. He batted .364. He hit a three-run home run in Game 4. This sent the Orioles to the World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kelly played five games in the World Series. He was used as a pinch-hitter. He made the last out of the series in Game 7. The Orioles lost in seven games.

Kelly had similar playing time in 1980. He mostly played against right-handed pitchers. On September 10, he hit a pinch-hit grand slam against the Detroit Tigers. This was against Dave Rozema, a pitcher he had much success against. In 89 games, he batted .260. He had 38 runs, 52 hits, three home runs, and 26 RBI. He stole 16 bases and was caught only twice. After the season, he became a free agent.

Final Season with the Cleveland Indians

Kelly finished his major league career with the Cleveland Indians in the 1981 season. This season was shorter because of a strike. He hit .213 (16-for-75) in 48 games. He had one home run, 16 RBI, and two stolen bases. After the season, he retired from baseball.

Pat Kelly's Amazing Career

In his 15-season career, Pat Kelly was a .264 hitter. He had 76 home runs and 418 RBI in 1,385 games. He also had 1,147 hits, 189 doubles, 35 triples, and 250 stolen bases. He was a fast runner. He often played as a leadoff hitter when he started games. Kelly also walked a lot during his career, getting 588 bases on balls.

When Kelly joined the White Sox in 1971, his manager said his arm was "adequate." He was not a "polished outfielder." Later in his career, manager Earl Weaver would tell him where to stand in the outfield. Weaver told him to just throw the ball to second base if it was hit to him.

Life Off the Field and Faith

Pat Kelly married Phyllis Jones on February 10, 1979. They had one daughter, April Marie. During his baseball career, Kelly took college classes at Morgan State University. He earned his degree in the 1970s. He enjoyed fishing and playing basketball.

In 1975, Pat Kelly found a new purpose in his life through his Christian faith. He said he found true happiness. He was open about sharing his faith with his teammates. With the Orioles, he started a chapel service in the weight room. Several of his teammates became Christians because of his influence. His manager, Earl Weaver, even sent him a letter admiring his strong faith.

Kelly was sometimes called "Reverend" by his teammates. After his baseball career, he became an ordained minister. He served at the Evangelical Baptist Church in Baltimore. He also worked with Lifeline Ministries. Kelly helped with charity work as the executive director of Christian Family Outreach in Cleveland. He traveled to share his faith with people. He said, "I go and I proclaim the Gospel. I see people saved."

His Legacy

On October 2, 2005, Pat Kelly was visiting friends after preaching at a church. He suffered a heart attack in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He passed away at age 61. He was buried at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium.

After his death, Joe Ehrmann, a former football player and pastor, spoke about Kelly. He said, "Pat was such an asset to the community. He was the embodiment of his religious beliefs... He transcended race, class, sports, and was just a fabulous lover of people, a good husband, and father. He was a charismatic preacher whose message came from his own life, and he wanted people to know that he walked with God."