St. Louis Browns pinch hitter / first baseman, Frank Kellert, was born on July 6, 1924 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He would build n 11-year professional baseball career that included nine seasons in the minor leagues and four seasons in the Majors. Kellert was a standout hitter throughout the minors, where he recorded 1337 hits in 1397 ga
St. Louis Browns pinch hitter / first baseman, Frank Kellert, was born on July 6, 1924 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He would build n 11-year professional baseball career that included nine seasons in the minor leagues and four seasons in the Majors. Kellert was a standout hitter throughout the minors, where he recorded 1337 hits in 1397 games. He recorded a batting average of over .285 seven times in his nine minor league seasons.
Kellert was a standout athlete at Classen High School in Oklahoma City before going on to play for Oklahoma State University. After three years with the "Cowboys", Kellert was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent. He spent two seasons within the Cardinals organization, bouncing between the Houston Buffaloes and Lynchburg Cardinals. The Cardinals sent his contract to his hometown team, the Oklahoma City Indians, in April of 1951. The Browns purchased his contract on July 21, 1951, but would allow Kellert to continue playing for the Indians for the next two seasons (1951-52).
Leading into the 1953 season, the Browns included Frank Kellert on the opening day roster. He would make his MLB debut on April 18 against the Detroit Tigers. He entered the game as a pinch hitter for Hal White and grounded out to shortstop Harvey Kuenn. Seven days later (April 25), Kellert started at first base against the Chicago White Sox. He would go 0-for-2, grounding out to the shortstop in both at bats. In his first plate appearance of the game, he reached base on an error by Chicago third baseman Rocky Krsnich. This would mark the conclusion of Frank Kellert's career with the St. Louis Browns. His final statistics would be 0-for-3, (three groundouts all going to the shortstop), and one base reached in two games.
Kellert would be sent back to Oklahoma City in May of 1953, where he hit 23 home runs and drove in 90 runs.
His baseball career was far from over after the Browns moved to Baltimore following the 1953 season. In 1954, he would hit 41 home runs, drive in 146 runs, and be named the Texas League Most Valuable Player while playing for the San Antonio Missions. This would ern him a late season call up by the Baltimore Orioles, but could only hit .206 in ten games.
Kellert would be traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers on March 17, 1955, and win a World Series later that season. After a seasons with the Cubs (1956), he return to the minors leagues for the final three years of his career. He would play with the San Francisco Seals (1957), Portland Beavers (1958) Minneapolis Millers (1958),Miami Marlins (1959), Seattle Rainiers (1959), and Vancouver Mounties (1959).
After retiring from baseball, Frank Kellert would return to O.K.C. where he showed off his World Series ring and told stories of his early days with the St. Louis Browns.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SATCHEL PAIGE!!!!
In order to honor one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, and former St. Louis Browns players, please enjoy some of Mr. Paige's most colorful baseball quotes.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SATCHEL PAIGE!!!!
In order to honor one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, and former St. Louis Browns players, please enjoy some of Mr. Paige's most colorful baseball quotes.
FEATURED GAME
1925 - The Browns would take both ends of a double header from the mighty New York Yankees. They would rack up 23 hits and outscore the "Bronx Bombers" 18 to 7 in front of a packer Sportsman's Park crowd. GAME 1 - Every player in the Browns lineup would get involved in the scoring in the Browns' 12 - 2 thumping of the Yankees. CF Baby Doll Jacobson would drive in four runs and score two himself, while going 3-for-4 including a triple. 1B George Sisler would add two more RBIs while missing "hitting for the cycle" by a home run. SS Bobby LaMotte would drive in two runs with his seventh inning single. The only Browns position player that failed to record a hit was 2B Gene Robertson, but he did get hit by a pitch that ahead of LaMotte's two-run single. RHP Milt Gaston would earn the complete game win, by scattering two runs off a walk and 11 hits. He would record three strikeouts, including a strikeout of Babe Ruth in the third inning. Ruth and Lou Gehrig would be a combined 2-for-7. GAME 2 - In a tighter game than the matinee, the Browns would walk off the Yankees in a 6 -5 victory. Baby Doll Jacobson would continue to thump Yankees pitching by driving a three-run homer off Alex Ferguson in the sixth inning. George Sisler would also continue to lead the Browns by going 2-for-4, with two RBIs. This game was decided in the ninth inning after the Yankees came back and scored two runs off Browns starter Joe Giard. RF Harry Rice would hit a game winning, walk off home run of Yankees reliever Herb Pennock to seal the Browns 6-5 win
BROWNS RECORD ON THIS DAY
Overall Record on July 7
19 Wins, 19 Losses (.500)
1902-09: 4-2
1910-19: 5-3
1920-29: 5-2
1930-39: 3-3
1940-49: 1-6
1950-53: 1-3
DOUBLE HEADERS
Sweeps: 1
Splits: 2
Swept: 1
TRANSACTIONS
There were no transactions made on this day
DEBUTS
There were no debuts made on this day
BROWNS BIRTHDAYS
1906? - RHP Satchel Paige (1951-53)
1893 - OF Dutch Wetzel (1920-21)
The manager for the 1918 St. Louis Browns was Fielder Jones, whowas in his third season as skipper for the Browns. Entering the 1918 season, Jones was beginning his ten season as a MLB manager. He spent five season managing the Chicago White Sox (426-293), two seasons with the St. Louis Terriers of the FBL (99-93), and two seasons with th
The manager for the 1918 St. Louis Browns was Fielder Jones, whowas in his third season as skipper for the Browns. Entering the 1918 season, Jones was beginning his ten season as a MLB manager. He spent five season managing the Chicago White Sox (426-293), two seasons with the St. Louis Terriers of the FBL (99-93), and two seasons with the browns (136-172). It was said that he was a strict leader who loved and supported his players.
Even though he was a proven winner as a manager, many Browns players did not respond to his ideals and beliefs. One of Jones' strongest feeling was his hatred of gambling in baseball. Throughout his time in St. Louis, many rumors surrounded the Browns and their curious play in tight games. There were stories in the press of specific players throwing games, and not performing on the field. When Jones ignored these stories, he was portrayed as careless and accepting of the illegal activity. When he defended his players, he was portrayed as making excuses for their poor decisions. When he confronted the players in question, they turned sour on the team. Some of the players in question were traded away, hoping to solve the issues, but the same problems existed. His time with the Browns came to a sudden halt when he walked away from the team on June 12, 1918.
The Browns SS Jimmy Austin led the team for 15 games (7-9), before the browns brought in Jimmy Burke who would become the Browns manager for the next two-plus seasons.