Atlanta Braves Franchise best catchers: King Kelly

Boston belongs to King Kelly

Kelly was the stereotypical Irishman, smiling, gregarious, as well as being a good player. The Beaneaters hoped the affable Irishman would woo Boston’s large Irish population and increase attendance at their games. They needn’t have worried, Kelly’s arrival was an event in Boston, as SABR’s Marty Appel wrote.

"the arrival of Mike Kelly in 1887 seemed something like a homecoming — a hero’s return. . . playing everyday at the South End Grounds on Walpole Street, he would be huge (draw) . . . . . . kids knew his arrival schedule (and waited) for a chance to see Kelly in person. (He was hard to miss, often toting a pet monkey on his shoulder.). ."

Peter Gordon credits Kelly with making the autograph popular, kids followed him down the street away from the ballpark, and Kelly was always ready to sign for his fans.

"Kelly may not have been the first baseball player fans followed for an autograph, but as the most famous he can certainly be given credit for popularizing the practice."

Kelly earned his money from day one, selling out games in his first starts. On the season, he stole 84 bases while batting 322/.393/.488 as Boston took the NL title.

Kelly batted  .318/.368/.480/.848 in 1888, but the Beaneaters faded down the stretch. In 1889 he slumped to .294/.376/.448/.824 but led the league in doubles as Boston lost on the last day of the season and finished second.

Kelly’s stardom brought him extra cash from endorsements that included a “Slide, Kelly, Slide” sled. Kelly shoe polish and pictures of his sliding headfirst into second base were prominent in bars across the city

The 1889 season also saw vaudeville star Maggie Cline sing “Slide, Kelly Slide,”  referring to Kelly’s habit of sliding headfirst into second base.

Atlanta Braves Franchise’s King abdicates, then returns

Salary disputes between the players and the league led to the formation of the Player’s League, and Kelly left the Beaneaters in support of the players but remained in Boston to play for – and manage – the Boston Reds, along with fellow Beaneaters Dan Brouthers, Tome Brown, Old Hoss Radbourn and Hardy Richardson.

His stay with the Reds lasted one season, then he formed Kelly’s Killers in the American Association and became player/manager. The Killers lasted until the season ended in August. Kelly released himself and signed back with the Boston Reds, only to jump back to the Beaneaters a week later.

The Beaneaters were now a shell of their championship selves, and Kelly’s hard-living ways made him a shell of his former self. He played with the Beaneaters through the 1892 season, signed with the Giants in May of 1893, but played just 20 games for New York.