Willie Keeler

Willie Keeler
Outfielder
Born: March 3, 1872
Died: January 1, 1923 (Aged 50)
Batted: Left	Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 30, 1892 for the New York Giants
Final game
September 5, 1910 for the New York Giants
Career statistics
Batting average	.341
Hits	2932
Runs scored	1719
Teams
New York Giants (1892-1893, 1910) Brooklyn Grooms/Supurbas (1893, 1899-1902) Baltimore Orioles (1894-1898) New York Highlanders (1903-1909)
Career highlights and awards
Career batting average (.341) 14th in major league history National League batting champion: 1897, 1898 National League runs scored leader: 1899 National League hits leader: 1897, 1897, 1900 8 200-hit seasons 8 seasons with 100+ runs scored
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Elected	1939
Vote	75.5% (third ballot)

William Henry Keeler (March 3, 1872 - January 1, 1923) in Brooklyn, New York, nicknamed "Wee Willie", was a right fielder in professional baseball who played from 1892 to 1910, primarily for the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Superbas in the National League, and the New York Highlanders in the American League.

Keeler was a remarkable hitter, whose advice to hitters was, "Keep your eye clear, and hit 'em where they ain't" -- "they" being the opposing fielders. He compiled a .341 batting average over his career, currently 14th all time behind Pete Browning. He hit over .300 16 times in 19 seasons, and hit over .400 once. He twice led his league in batting average and three times in hits. Willie had an amazing 206 singles during the 1898 season. Additionally, he had an on-base percentage of greater than .400 for seven straight seasons. When Keeler retired in 1910, he was second all time in hits with 2,932 behind only Cap Anson.

He was one of the smaller players to play the game, standing approximately 5'7" (some sources say he was as short at 5'4") and weighing 140 pounds (64 kg), resulting in his nickname. Keeler was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. He is among the shortest players ever elected to the Hall, and the shortest to appear on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, where he ranked number 75. In 1999, he was named as a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Having played his last game in 1910, he was the most chronologically distant player on both Top 100 lists.

Keeler had the amazing ability to bunt practically any ball sent his way. He was the impetus for the rule change that made a third-strike foul bunt into a strike out. With John McGraw's Baltimore Orioles he perfected the "Baltimore Chop" in which he would chop the ball into the ground hard enough for it to bounce so high he could reach base before the fielder could throw the ball to first.

In 1897, Keeler had a 44-game hitting streak to start the season, beating out the previous single season record of 42, set by Bill Dahlen. Keeler had a hit in his final game of the 1896 season, giving him a National League record 45-game hitting streak. This mark was finally surpassed by Joe DiMaggio in 1941, who had a 56-game hitting streak. In 1978, Pete Rose tied Keeler's single season mark of 44 games. No other player in baseball has ever matched this feat. Another one of Keeler's unbroken records is his eight consecutive seasons with 200 hits or more although the Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki is one season away from tying the mark.

In 1905 he set the Yankees team record for most Sacrifice Hits in a season with 42.

In an article in 1976 in Esquire magazine, sportswriter Harry Stein published an "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," consisting of five ethnic baseball teams. Because of space limitations the Irish team, including Keeler as center fielder, was omitted.

Keeler was immortalized in the poem "Lineup for Yesterday, by Ogden Nash, thus:

K is for Keeler,
As fresh as green paint;
The firstest and mostest
To hit where they ain't.

Willie Keeler is interred in Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York.

See also

• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball batting champions
• List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 stolen bases

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Willie Keeler

• Baseball Hall of Fame
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference

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