Mike Kelly - Never on the Defensive

As the 1887 season drew to a close, Boston fans were disappointed their team was headed for a fifth place finish. Even so 6,000 fans made their way to the South End Grounds for the home finale against New York, hoping at least to end the season on a positive note.  Things got off to a promising start when Boston went ahead 1-0 in the top of the first, but it didn't look like the lead would last very long.  With only one out in the bottom of the inning, the visitors loaded the bases, doubtless causing some fans to think "Here we go again."  Suddenly, however, "with a lightning movement" Boston catcher Mike Kelly picked the unsuspecting runner off third.  "Hardly had the applause"  died down when the "only Kel" did it again, picking the "napping" Roger Connor off first to end the threat.  Thus encouraged Boston went on to win game while giving the fans a thrill they would never forget. For us today however, the two daring plays serve another purpose - they capture almost perfectly Kelly's defensive philosophy - the old adage that the best defense is a good offense.

By July of 1887, Boston fans were beginning to accept that their high hopes for the season would not come to fruition - Boston Globe - July 10, 1887

Wherever he played in the field Kelly combined his extraordinary physical and mental gifts with a unique aggressive style. On defense, Kelly's most important physical attribute was his arm which he used to full advantage regardless of the position.  In a rare 1890 appearance at first base, Kelly recorded five assists in a 12 inning game - not far off Bob Skinner's 1954 record of eight in 14 innings.  More important, however is how Kelly used his arm to turn right field, where he played more than any other position, into an extension of the infield.  Taking advantage of very short right field fences in Chicago and Boston, Kelly played "in very close," using his strong arm to turn singles into outs at first base.  In his very first game with Chicago in 1880, Kelly threw three unsuspecting batters out at first.  His approach to playing right field became part of Chicago's defensive strategy so quickly that a few months later, second baseman, Joe Quest was criticized for attempting to field a ball when Kelly "could easily have [thrown] out the runner." 

Washington's John Irwin was only one player who learned the hard way, not to test Kelly's arm.

Kelly's "lightning" like, "true as an arrow" throws were even more important at catcher, his other major position.  Picking runners off base, like the two instances described earlier, was a regular part of his repertoire.  During the1886 pennant race, Kelly picked a runner off third in two consecutive games at a time when every game was important to Chicago's winning a pennant they didn't clinch until the season's very last day. Kelly's throwing was also put to good use when the opposition foolishly tested his arm.  John Irwin of Washington made that mistake in the tenth inning of a scoreless 1888 game.   With a runner on third and one out, Irwin believed "he could steal second, and that Mike Kelly would not throw the ball."  "He was, said the Boston Globe, "never so mistaken in his life" as Kelly threw him out easily without the runner on third scoring.  It's no surprise Kelly's reputation alone often "compelled the runners to hug their bases very closely."  And while time may have slowed down Kelly's legs, his arm remained strong. In 1892, his last full active season, Kelly, in the same inning, nailed fellow Hall of Famers Billy Hamilton and Ed Delehanty when they foolishly tried to advance.  Opposing teams could be forgiven if they sometimes wondered whether they were on offense or defense.

John Clarkson 

While Kelly took a thinking man's approach to every aspect of defense, his best opportunity to use his head was in handling pitchers. There is no better example than the 1889 game discussed in the last post where Kelly tried unsuccessfully to steal home in the tenth inning.  The game would likely not even have reached extra innings had it not been for Kelly's handling of Hall of Fame pitcher John Clarkson in the eighth. Washington had the bases loaded with two out which was bad enough, but thanks to some questionable calls by the umpire, Clarkson was behind 3-0 on the hitter.  The Boston pitcher was clearly unnerved and one more ball might cost the Beaneaters a game they badly needed in a very close pennant race.  Kelly, who was playing right field, called time and with permission from manager Jim Hart took over behind the plate.  One pitch at a time, Kelly talked Clarkson through the crisis enabling him to come back to strike out the batter and end the inning.  Although the game ended in a tie, it was better than a loss and showed there was a lot more to Kelly's catching than his superior throwing. 

Although he was the greatest base stealer of the 19th century, Billy Hamilton was also a victim of Kelly's throwing arm. 

As important as Kelly's mental and physical gifts were to his play in the field, just as on offense, it was his relentless, aggressive style that took Kelly's game to the highest level.  Attempting to pick a runner off third was a high risk play that sometimes backfired, but Kelly was successful often enough to make the rewards well worth the risk.  And while right field doesn't lend itself to aggressive play,  Kelly made it so, not only by throwing batters out at first, but also by sneaking in behind unsuspecting runners to take pickoff throws. It's also noteworthy that the victims of Kelly's aggressive defense included Hall of Fame peers such as Deacon White, Billy Hamilton, Ed Delehanty and Roger Connor. Just finding adequate words to describe Kelly's uniquely aggressive defense was a challenge for contemporary sportswriters.  Trying to tell his readers about one of Kelly's great catches in right field, Tim Murnane, felt "circus catch," didn't come close to doing it justice.  Only by adding "a street parade, a band of music, six elephants and an ossified man" could the analogy provide a true picture of the play.  Elaborate to be sure, but necessary to show that while he may have been on defense, Kelly was never defensive.