New Britain herald., 1923-01-02
Willie keller dies
OF HEART TROUBLE
Famous Oldlimc Baseball Player
Succambed 10 Malady Yesterday

New York Jan, e,-William II
f"wee Willie"n KeeleF, one of the
most famous OF Ald-time baseball
players, died yesterday at his home,
1910 Gates avenue, Brooklyn, He
had been a sufferer from heart dis,
ease for more than two years,
Keller had expressed a desire 10
live until the beginning Of the new
year, and on sunday he remarked To
his brother. Thomas +, Keller, that
he was ighting a losing light but
would live 10 see 1898 ushered in, On
New Years eve several members of
his family and some friends visited
him al his home, Just before mid.
night all the members Of the party
left the room where Keller was lying
and stepped outside 20 hear the bells.
They came back few minutes later
10 md the sick man sitting up In bed
ringing in the new year with q bell
he had for the purpose Of calling his
attendant. He was playing the game
OF life as he played the game OF base
bali-until the last man was out In
the ninth.
Famous As Hitter.
Keller was one OF the greatest
batsmen OF all time. He first became
noted as a great hitter while playing
In the outhed with the famous lIal-
timore Orioles in the ninetios. Sew
eral OF the records he set while with
that organization. thrice pennant
winner OF the old National league. re-
main unbroken. Some OF his 10 years
in the majors were spent with the
Giants and Brooklyn Nationals and
the New York Yankees.
He was not batsman OF the slug
ging type. such as Ed Delehanty and
the late Pop Arson. but was a pio-
neer in the art of place hitting, the
philosophy of which he explained in
the simple and now famous utterance,
Hit EN- where they amt"
Led National League.
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 an
nails, and in 1898 with .379. His
greatest year was 1897, his feats that
season including six hits in one game
and records of 1919 one base blows and
hitting safely in A consecutive games,
both of which still stand as major
league high marks His total hits
that year, 243, also stood as Ma
tional league record until the past
season, when Rogers Hornsby, great
second baseman of the st. Louis Car
dinals, established new standard
with $50. The nearest approach to
his consecutive game hitting was
made last season by George Sisler of
the St. Louis Browns, who reached Al
before going hitless.
Over a stretch of eight seasons,
from 1894 to 1901, Keller hung up
two other unique marks, scoring more
than 100 runs and rapping out more
than 200 hits in each of these sea-
Sons. BY gathering 211 safe blows
last season Ty Cobb equalled Keeler's
hitting mark, but the Detroit stars
record was not made in consecutive
seasons.
Grand Average of .305.
National league records show Kee
lers lifetime batting mark, for 10
years, to be .305, but for ii seasons,
from 1898 to 1906, inclusive, when
he was at his best, his average was I
close to $50. {
Keller was born in Brooklyn, March |
J, 1872 He played his first major [
eague game Sept. 80. 1892, with the
Giants, who secured him from Bing-
lamton, N. Y. The following year he I
played with the Giants and Brooklyn.
from 1894 70 1898 he patrolled right
ield with Baltimore, team on which
,ther stars were John McGraw, Will I
pert Robinson, Hugh Jennings and
Toe Kelley. He returned to Brook
yn in 1899, the Dodgers winning pen |
lants that year and the next. He
vas with the New York Yankees from q
900 to 1909 and signed in 1910 with I
he Giants, who released him the same {
ear to Toronto. That year marked
he end of his major league career.
Ill health coupled with financial
Misfortune some years later. brought I
leeler's circumstances to a low ebb
nd In 1921 he was aided by a Joint
lift of $500 from the National and