George Kelly (baseball player)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George Kelly of the New York Giants.

George Lange Kelly September 10, 1895 , San Francisco, California - October 13, 1984 , Burlingame, California), nicknamed "Highpockets", was a Major League Baseball player known for his solid all-round hitting and slick fielding at first base.

Kelly entered the majors briefly in the mid-1910s, beginning in 1915 with the New York Giants, but he wasn't a regular in their line-up until 1920, when he had a league-leading 94 RBI. In 1921, Kelly began a string of successful years individually and with his team. Kelly drove in 100 or more runs for four consecutive seasons (which he did again in 1929) and batted .300 or higher six consecutive seasons. The Giants appeared in the World Series in 1921, 1922, 1923 and 1924, and won in 1921 and 1922.

George Kelly
is a member of
the Baseball
Hall of Fame

Kelly was traded to the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 1927 season for future Hall of Famer Edd Roush. His production faultered in Cincinnati before retiring after the 1932 season as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He retired with 148 home runs, 1020 RBI and a .297 batting average.

Kelly shares the National League record with seven home runs in six consecutive games, set in 1924. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.