San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-02
"Wee Willie" Holder of
Many Remarkable Rec
ords Made in "Old Days"
Of Game, Passes Away on
New Years Day-Twice
Sold for $500 Though
Star at the Time.

New York, Jan. 2.-The funeral OF
William II. "Wee Willie" Keller, one
of the greatest baseball players of all
time, who died Monday of heart dis
ease at his Brooklyn home, will be held
Thursday morning with services at the
Church of Our Lady of Good Coun-
sell For three weeks his death had
been expected, but Wee Willie died
playing the game Of life as he had al
ways played baseball-until the last
out in the ninth.
A New Years Eve party at his home
Sunday night was the gathering place
OF family friends and Old-time admir-
ers Of the little ball player, whose
success on the diamond brought few
rewards for his final days.
The assembled friends stepped out for
moment, to listen 10 the bells OF
Brooklyn's churches at midnight. When
they returned they found Willie sitting
in his bed, laughing and ringing chimes
of his own for the passing of the old
year and the coming of the new with
mon his attendant.
Twice Sold for $500.
The death of the batsman whose rec
ords are still unparalleled by his sue
cessors recalled the changing status of
the ball player in late years. Twice
Wee Willie was sold" even when on
the road to fame, for $500. a sum that
seems trivial when players are sold to-
day for sums amounting TO five fig
ures.
Keller was discovered in 1892,
while with the Plainfield, y. j., team.
tha ,YnsY
then manager of the BinghamptOn team
Of the Eastern League, going TO scout"
another player, forgot all about him
when he saw Keller.
"How much are you getting" he
asked Wee Willie.
Two dollars a game" Willie an
swered.
He jumped at the offer of $50 Doesch-
CT made him.
The Giants bought Keller from Bing-
hamton for $500. Again $500 was the
selling tag of one of the historical fig
ures of baseball when, in 1893. Brook
lyn bought him from the Giants.
Keller was one of the greatest bats
men. He first became noted as o great
hitter while playing with the famous
Baltimore Orioles in the '00s. Several
of the records he set with Baltimore.
thrice a winner Of the old National
League pennant. remain unbrOken.
Other of his nineteen years in the ma
jors were spent with the New York
and Brooklyn Nationals and the New
York Americans.
Pioneer Of Place Hitting.
He was not batsman of the slug
ging type like FL Delehanty and the
late Pop" AnsOn, but was a pioneer
in the art of place hitting, the phil,
osopby of which he explained in the
simple and now famous utterance hit
EN- where they amt.
While with Baltimore, Keller twice
led the National League in batting, in
1897 with .432, mark second only to
Hugh Duffy's .43S in baseball annals
and in 1898 with .319. His greatest
year was 1897, his feats that season in
Guiding six hits in one game and rec
ords Of 100 base blows and hitting safe
ly in 4 consecutive games, both o
which still stand a major league higi
mark. His total hits that year. 243
also stood as a National League rec
ord until the past season, when Roger!
Hornsby. second-Sacker of the st. LOui,
Cardinals, established a new STANDARD
with go. The nearest approach to hi
consecutive game hitting was made Las
season by George Sisler, of the st
Louis Browns, who reached Al beforD
going hitless.
Over a stretch Of eight seasons, from
1894 to 1901, Keller hung up two othc
unique marks, scoring more than 1Ot
runs and rapping out more than 2Ji
hits in each of these seasons. BY gath
ering 211 safe blows last season T,
Cobb equalled Keeler's hitting mark
but the Detroit stars record was no
made in consecutive seasons.
Was Born in 1872.
Keller was born in Brooklyn, Marc
3, 1872.
Ill-health, coupled with financial mis-
fortune, some years later brought Keel
er's circumstances to low ebb and i,
1921 he was aided by a joint gift o
$500 from the National and America
Leagues.
Keeler's stand at the plate was on
of the most peculiar in baseball II
stood erect, his bat "choked" an
straight against his limp body. Flat
footed, he toed the batter's dead-lint
Then he turned only his head tOwar
the pitcher.
The boxman twirled to fraid side O
body that really seemed to concea
the bat There was no waiting or tbs
atrical threat of hit. When the ba
came steaming TO the plate. Keller me
il this way or that, full force. tap. halt
swing or poke as the emergency prompt
ed him.
He was a master worlimen.