George Kell (born August 23, 1922 in Swifton, Arkansas) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and right-handed batter who played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1943-1946), Detroit Tigers (1947-52), Boston Red Sox (1952-54), Chicago White Sox (1954-56) and Baltimore Orioles (1956-57) in the American League. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he was regarded as the best third baseman in the AL. Kell was a solid hitter and a sure-handed fielder. He 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's .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.
In his career, Kell batted .306, with 78 home runs and 870 runs batted in, 881 runs scored, 2054 hits, 385 doubles, 50 triples, 36 stolen bases, a .482 slugging average, and 621 walks for a .367 on base percentage.
Following his retirement as a player, Kell worked as a play-by-play announcer, first with the Orioles (1957) and CBS television (1958) and then with the Tigers (1959-1996). Kell also served ten years on the Arkansas State Highway commission (1973-83). Kell owns a car dealership, George Kell Motors in Newport, Arkansas.
George Kell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
