"King" Kelly
In the 1880's a hard playing, hard drinking
catcher-outfielder by the name of Mike Kelly became baseball's first genuine superstar.
This handsome, mustachioed son of Irish immigrants helped lead the Chicago White Stockings
to five N.L. pennants from 1880 to 1886... and his fans nicknamed him the
"King".
The flamboyant Kelly had perfected the hook slide and whenever he got on base he would be
greeted by chants of "Slide Kelly Slide" from the stands.
King Kelly played big league baseball for 16 years, had a lifetime batting average of
.307, led the N.L. in hitting twice and three times in runs scored, and was a master base
stealer in an age when, unfortunately, complete statistics were not kept on the tactic.
But we do know that he stole 84 bases in the 1887 season and in 1890 he swiped six bases
in one game.
Kelly, who had a fondness for strong drink, fine food and having good time, was just as
famous for his off field antics as for his playing ability. He liked to bet on the horses
and spent many a night carousing Chicago's saloons. Kelly even took a crack at vaudeville.
He would appear on stage and tell baseball stories and perform in skits, usually to
thunderous applause.
Although Kelly hit .388 in 1886, after the season was over Chicago owner Al Spalding shook
up the baseball world by selling Kelly to the Boston club for the then unheard of sum of
$10,000. This caused the press to dub Kelly "the Ten Thousand Dollar Beauty".
Kelly spent three creditable years playing for Boston (batting over .300 each season).
After spending the 1890 season in the ill-fated Players League he then went back to the
N.L. where he played and managed in Cincinnati for awhile, and finally ended up with New York in 1893.
But his many years of high living and hard drinking had finally did him in. In 1894 Mike Kelly came down with pneumonia and died at the age of 36.
Mike "King" Kelly was the most colorful and best known player of his day... and was baseball's first true superstar.
Abner Doubleday
Abner Doubleday :just not interested in Baseball.
