George Kell
Encyclopedia
George Clyde Kell was an American baseball
third baseman
who played for the Philadelphia Athletics
(1943–46), Detroit Tigers
(1947–52), Boston Red Sox
(1952–54), Chicago White Sox
(1954–56), and Baltimore Orioles
(1956–57) in the American League
, who went on to become a baseball broadcaster for 40 years.
, where the baseball facility, Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field
, is named after him.
A solid right-handed hitter and a sure-handed fielder, Kell was a 10-time All-Star, 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 (.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
.
In his career, Kell batted .306, with 78 home run
s and 870 runs batted in, 881 runs scored, 2054 hits, 385 doubles
, 50 triples
, 51 stolen base
s, a ..414 slugging average, and 621 walks
for a .367 on base percentage
.
Kell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1983. A memorable quote from his induction speech at the Hall of Fame goes as follows, "I have always said that George Kell has taken more from this great game of baseball than he can ever give back. And now I know, I am deeper in debt than ever before."
for ABC television along with Bud Blattner, the 1962 National League tie-breaker series
for NBC television along with Bob Wolff
, the 1962 World Series
for NBC Radio along with Joe Garagiola
, and Games 3-5 of the 1968 World Series
(for which the Tigers were the home team) for NBC television along with Curt Gowdy
.
From 1975 until his retirement from broadcasting, Kell was joined on Tiger telecasts by Al Kaline
as color commentator
. After the Tigers
' World Series win in 1984
, Kell remarked, "If we get a little pitching out of Wilcox, this team could do it again." The Tigers got very little pitching out of the aging Milt Wilcox
after 1984 and did not return to the fall classic until 2006
.
, who opened his radio broadcasts with "Hiya, Tiger fans!", Kell traditionally opened his broadcasts with "Good afternoon, everyone!" or "Good EVE-ning, everyone!" When paired with Larry Osterman on Tigers telecasts in the late 1960s and early '70s, the opening was often "Thank you, Larry, and good afternoon."
Kell was also known for particular colloquialisms in his style, such as always referring to a high pitch near the batter's eyes as being "up in his wheelhouse", or a hard-hit home run being "tommyhawked" into the stands. A particularly good catch was exemplified by "Speared by (Aurelio) Rodríguez
! Whale of a play!"
His home run call was simple but delivered with rising pitch: "Long drive...way back...could be... and it is. Home run!" The game-ending out, whether it meant a Tiger win or loss, usually merited a decrescendo: "Fly ball to center field...this should be the ball game... it is." Kell also relayed stories of his Hall of Fame career in the same folksy style. A favorite story of his was about the incident when his jaw was broken by a line drive off the bat of Joe DiMaggio
. "I got up, made the play at third, then passed out."
In 2009, the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association gave Kell its highest individual honor, an honorary lifetime membership. The association was founded in 1948 by pioneer Tigers announcer Ty Tyson
.
.
Kell's brother, Everett "Skeeter" Kell
, played the 1952 season for the Philadelphia Athletics
.
Kell married his childhood sweetheart Charlene; they remained married for 50 years until her death from cancer in 1991. They had one daughter, Terrie Jane. And one son George Kell Jr.
Best-selling author Elmore Leonard
in the 1990 anthology Cult Baseball Players wrote that Kell was his favorite player. When the novelist threw out the first pitch at a June 15, 1999 Tigers game, Leonard wore a No. 21 jersey that was presented to him by the Tigers in an homage to Kell.
Kell is survived by his second wife, Carolyn.
Fox Sports Detroit
(the Detroit Tigers' current local TV rights holder) honored Kell with re-airings of the special FSN Basement: All Star Edition 2005 featuring interviews with George Kell and Al Kaline, each recalling their memories of playing for the Tigers and working together in the television booth. It re-aired several times during the week after his death.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
who played for the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
(1943–46), Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1947–52), Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(1952–54), Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
(1954–56), and Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(1956–57) in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
, who went on to become a baseball broadcaster for 40 years.
Playing career
In college, Kell played for Arkansas State UniversityArkansas State University
Arkansas State University is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and third largest university by enrollment. It is located atop on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA...
, where the baseball facility, Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field
Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field
Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field is a baseball venue located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA. It has been home to the Arkansas State Red Wolves college baseball team of the Division I Sun Belt Conference since 1993. The venue has a capacity of 1,000 people....
, is named after him.
A solid right-handed hitter and a sure-handed fielder, Kell was a 10-time All-Star, batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
over .300 nine times and topped the league's third basemen in assists
Baseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...
and total chances
Total chances
In baseball statistics, total chances , also called chances offered, represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is calculated as follows: Total Chances = assists + putouts + errors. Chances accepted refers to the total of putouts and assists only. Fielding...
four times and in fielding percentage seven times. He won his only batting title in (.343), denying Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
his third Triple Crown
Triple crown (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, a player earns the Triple Crown when he leads a league in three specific statistical categories. For batters, a player must lead the league in home runs, run batted in , and batting average; pitchers must lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average...
; 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
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Billy Goodman
Billy Goodman
William Dale Goodman was an infielder and left-handed batter who played Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox , Baltimore Orioles , Chicago White Sox and Houston Colt .45's ....
.
In his career, Kell batted .306, with 78 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 870 runs batted in, 881 runs scored, 2054 hits, 385 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 50 triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, 51 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s, a ..414 slugging average, and 621 walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
for a .367 on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
.
Kell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1983. A memorable quote from his induction speech at the Hall of Fame goes as follows, "I have always said that George Kell has taken more from this great game of baseball than he can ever give back. And now I know, I am deeper in debt than ever before."
Broadcasting career
Following his retirement as a player, Kell worked as a play-by-play announcer for the Orioles (1957), CBS television (1958), and the Tigers (1959–1963, 1965–1996). Kell also helped call the 1959 National League tie-breaker series1959 National League tie-breaker series
The 1959 National League tie-breaker series was a best-of-three playoff series to decide the winner of Major League Baseball's National League pennant. The games took place on September 28 and 29, 1959 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Braves. The first game was played in...
for ABC television along with Bud Blattner, the 1962 National League tie-breaker series
1962 National League tie-breaker series
The 1962 National League tie-breaker series was a three-game playoff series to determine the winner of Major League Baseball's National League pennant. The games took place from October 1 to 3, 1962, between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. The Giants won the series two games...
for NBC television along with Bob Wolff
Bob Wolff
Robert "Bob" Wolff , in New York City, New York is an American sportscaster. He was the radio and TV voice of the Washington Senators from 1947 to 1960, continuing with the team when they relocated and became the Minnesota Twins in 1961. In 1962, he joined NBC-TV...
, the 1962 World Series
1962 World Series
The 1962 World Series matched the defending American League and World Series champions New York Yankees against the National League champion San Francisco Giants, who had won their first NL pennant since 1954 and first since moving from New York in 1958, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in a...
for NBC Radio along with Joe Garagiola
Joe Garagiola
Joseph Henry "Joe" Garagiola, Sr. is an American former catcher in Major League Baseball who later became an announcer and television host, popular for his colorful personality. He was well known for being one of the regular panelists of The Today Show on NBC for many years.-Early life:Garagiola...
, and Games 3-5 of the 1968 World Series
1968 World Series
The 1968 World Series featured the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Tigers winning in seven games for their first championship since 1945, and the third in their history...
(for which the Tigers were the home team) for NBC television along with Curt Gowdy
Curt Gowdy
Curtis Edward "Curt" Gowdy was an American sportscaster, well known as the longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally-televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:The son of a manager for the Union Pacific railroad,...
.
From 1975 until his retirement from broadcasting, Kell was joined on Tiger telecasts by Al Kaline
Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and...
as color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
. After the Tigers
1984 Detroit Tigers season
The Detroit Tigers won the 1984 World Series, defeating the San Diego Padres, 4 games to 1. The season was their 84th since they entered the American League in 1901 and their fourth World Series championship. Detroit relief pitcher Willie Hernandez won the Cy Young Award and was chosen as the...
' World Series win in 1984
1984 World Series
The 1984 World Series began on October 9 and ended on October 14, 1984. The American League champion Detroit Tigers played against the National League champion San Diego Padres, with the Tigers winning the series four games to one....
, Kell remarked, "If we get a little pitching out of Wilcox, this team could do it again." The Tigers got very little pitching out of the aging Milt Wilcox
Milt Wilcox
Milton Edward Wilcox was a pitcher who had a sixteen-year career from 1970 to 1975, 1977–1986. He played for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs of the National League and the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners of the American League...
after 1984 and did not return to the fall classic until 2006
2006 World Series
The 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, began on October 21 and ended on October 27, and matched the American League champion Detroit Tigers against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals won the Series in five games, taking...
.
Broadcasting style
Kell had a relaxed, easygoing "country-gentleman" style of announcing. In contrast to his compatriot Ernie HarwellErnie Harwell
William Earnest "Ernie" Harwell was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television...
, who opened his radio broadcasts with "Hiya, Tiger fans!", Kell traditionally opened his broadcasts with "Good afternoon, everyone!" or "Good EVE-ning, everyone!" When paired with Larry Osterman on Tigers telecasts in the late 1960s and early '70s, the opening was often "Thank you, Larry, and good afternoon."
Kell was also known for particular colloquialisms in his style, such as always referring to a high pitch near the batter's eyes as being "up in his wheelhouse", or a hard-hit home run being "tommyhawked" into the stands. A particularly good catch was exemplified by "Speared by (Aurelio) Rodríguez
Aurelio Rodríguez
Aurelio Rodríguez Ituarte, Jr. , was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the California Angels , Washington Senators , Detroit Tigers , San Diego Padres , New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles...
! Whale of a play!"
His home run call was simple but delivered with rising pitch: "Long drive...way back...could be... and it is. Home run!" The game-ending out, whether it meant a Tiger win or loss, usually merited a decrescendo: "Fly ball to center field...this should be the ball game... it is." Kell also relayed stories of his Hall of Fame career in the same folksy style. A favorite story of his was about the incident when his jaw was broken by a line drive off the bat of Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
. "I got up, made the play at third, then passed out."
In 2009, the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association gave Kell its highest individual honor, an honorary lifetime membership. The association was founded in 1948 by pioneer Tigers announcer Ty Tyson
Ty Tyson
Edwin L. "Ty" Tyson was an American sports broadcaster and radio play-by-play announcer.-Early life:Tyson was born in Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania and he attended Penn State University. As a young man, he played ball and acted in nearby Tyrone, Pennsylvania. While acting in a play, he met another...
.
Personal life
Kell served ten years on the Arkansas State Highway Commission (1973–83) and owned a car dealership, George Kell Motors, in NewportNewport, Arkansas
Newport is a city in Jackson County, Arkansas, northeast of Little Rock, on the White River. In 1900, 2,866 people lived in Newport, Arkansas; in 1910, 3,557. The population was 7,811 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jackson County....
.
Kell's brother, Everett "Skeeter" Kell
Skeeter Kell
Everett Lee "Skeeter" Kell is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. He played one season, , for the Philadelphia Athletics, splitting time at second base with Cass Michaels and Pete Suder....
, played the 1952 season for the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
.
Kell married his childhood sweetheart Charlene; they remained married for 50 years until her death from cancer in 1991. They had one daughter, Terrie Jane. And one son George Kell Jr.
Best-selling author Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard
Elmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...
in the 1990 anthology Cult Baseball Players wrote that Kell was his favorite player. When the novelist threw out the first pitch at a June 15, 1999 Tigers game, Leonard wore a No. 21 jersey that was presented to him by the Tigers in an homage to Kell.
Kell is survived by his second wife, Carolyn.
Death
Kell died at age 86 in his sleep in his hometown of Swifton, Arkansas on March 24, 2009.Fox Sports Detroit
Fox Sports Detroit
Fox Sports Detroit , is a regional sports network that covers local sports teams in the state of Michigan, mostly those in the Metro Detroit area. It is an owned and operated affiliate of Fox Sports Net...
(the Detroit Tigers' current local TV rights holder) honored Kell with re-airings of the special FSN Basement: All Star Edition 2005 featuring interviews with George Kell and Al Kaline, each recalling their memories of playing for the Tigers and working together in the television booth. It re-aired several times during the week after his death.
Highlights
- 10-time All-StarMajor League Baseball All-Star GameThe Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
(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)
See also
- Hitting for the cycleHitting for the cycleIn baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball doubles records
- Chicago White Sox all-time roster
- 1950 Detroit Tigers season1950 Detroit Tigers seasonThe Detroit Tigers had a record of 95-59 , the seventh-best winning percentage in the Tigers' 107-year history. After a tight back-and-forth pennant race, they finished in second place, three games behind a Yankees team that swept the Phillies in the 1950 World Series.- Regular season :The 1950...
External links
- Baseball Hall of Fame – Member biography
- Hall of Famer George Kell: A Fan Favorite in Detroit, July 2006, Baseball Digest
- George Kell: From Rejected Prospect to Hall of Famer, August 1994, Baseball Digest
- Kell - He Was Least Likely, Baseball Digest, June 1951
- The Trade That Helped Create a Hall of Famer, Baseball Digest, September 1991
- Trister, Noah. "Ex-Oriole George Kell dies at 86," The Associated Press, Tuesday, March 24, 2009.
- "Kell, O's All-Star, Hall of Famer, dies," The Baltimore Sun, Wednesday, March 25, 2009.
- Goldstein, Richard. "George Kell, 86, Tigers' Hall of Famer and Broadcaster, Is Dead," The New York Times, Wednesday, March 25, 2009.
- Smith, Dale B. "George Kell: A Tiger in A's Clothing," Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society.