Michael “King” Kelly (1857–1894) was one of the most influential players of 19th-century baseball. Born in Troy, NY, to Irish immigrants from County Roscommon, Kelly was widely regarded as the game’s most popular player of his era.
He won eight championships over 16 seasons, claiming two batting titles while leading the league in on-base percentage (twice), doubles (three times), and runs scored (three times). He finished his career with a .307 batting average and 368 stolen bases. As player-manager of the Cincinnati “Kelly’s Killers,” he helped shape the role of manager in the game’s early days.
Kelly invented the hook slide, inspired the song and film Slide, Kelly, Slide, and is considered the likely model for Casey at the Bat. He wrote baseball’s first player autobiography in 1888, helped popularize autographing, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.
