Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. He was considered one of the greatest players of his day, and countless rules were added or revised because of his frequent and alert exploitation of loopholes. In one famous instance, the rules had stated that a player could enter a game as a substitute simply by announcing who they were replacing; Kelly realized that the rule had no requirement that the ball not be in play at the time, and began announcing his entry into games when he was close enough to catch a batted ball that his teammates on the field couldn't reach. The league quickly enacted a midseason revision to the rule. Kelly sparked the Chicago Nationals to championship seasons in 1880, 1881, 1885, and 1886. He was also credited with creating the hit and run play. After winning the batting crown in 1886, he was sold to the Boston Beaneaters for an unheard of $10,000. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945. He died from pneumonia in Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 36.
Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. He was considered one of the greatest players of his day, and countless rules were added or revised because of his frequent and alert exploitation of loopholes. In one famous instance, the rules had stated that a player could enter a game as a substitute simply by announcing who they were replacing; Kelly realized that the rule had no requirement that the ball not be in play at the time, and began announcing his entry into games when he was close enough to catch a batted ball that his teammates on the field couldn't reach. The league quickly enacted a midseason revision to the rule. Kelly sparked the Chicago Nationals to championship seasons in 1880, 1881, 1885, and 1886. He was also credited with creating the hit and run play. After winning the batting crown in 1886, he was sold to the Boston Beaneaters for an unheard of $10,000. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945. He died from pneumonia in Boston, Massachusetts at the age of 36.
Bio by: Ron Moody
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