George Kell ✝

Kell was an All-Star for ten seasons. In 1949, he won the American League (AL) batting title hitting .343 with 59 runs batted in (RBI). In 1950, he hit .340 with 101 RBI and led the AL in hits and doubles. In 1951, he hit .319 with 59 RBI and led the AL in hits, singles, and doubles. He hit .300 or more for nine seasons. Kell also was hard to strike out; he struck out only 287 times in 6,702 at-bats during his career.\n', ' In college, Kell played for Arkansas State, where the baseball facility, Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field, is named after him.\n', ' A solid right-handed hitter and a sure-handed fielder, Kell was a ten-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 1949 (.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\' .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. While with the Tigers, Kell wore three different numbers: 21, 15, and 7.\n', '