Ken Keltner
The third baseman who stopped DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak wasn't just a defensive specialist making lucky plays. Keltner was a legitimate two-way force who anchored Cleveland's hot corner for over a decade, driving in 852 runs while maintaining a solid .276 average across 14 seasons.
Seven All-Star selections tell the story of sustained excellence that modern fans rarely associate with the name. Keltner's 163 home runs were substantial power numbers for a third baseman in the dead-ball hangover era, and his glove work became the stuff of legend around Cleveland.
That July 17, 1941 performance against the Yankees made him famous, but it shouldn't overshadow a career that featured consistent production at a premium defensive position during baseball's golden age.
Career · Batting
13 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | CLE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — |
| 1938 | CLE | 149 | 576 | 26 | 113 | .276 | — | — |
| 1939 | CLE | 154 | 587 | 13 | 97 | .325 | — | — |
| 1940 | CLE | 149 | 543 | 15 | 77 | .254 | — | — |
| 1941 | CLE | 149 | 581 | 23 | 84 | .269 | — | — |
| 1942 | CLE | 152 | 624 | 6 | 78 | .287 | — | — |
| 1943 | CLE | 110 | 427 | 4 | 39 | .260 | — | — |
| 1944 | CLE | 149 | 573 | 13 | 91 | .295 | — | — |
| 1946 | CLE | 116 | 398 | 13 | 45 | .241 | — | — |
| 1947 | CLE | 151 | 541 | 11 | 76 | .257 | — | — |
| 1948 | CLE | 153 | 558 | 31 | 119 | .297 | — | — |
| 1949 | CLE | 80 | 246 | 8 | 30 | .232 | — | — |
| 1950 | BOS | 13 | 28 | 0 | 2 | .321 | — | — |
| Career | 1526 | 5683 | 163 | 852 | .276 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.