Alex Kellner
Alexander Raymond Kellner (August 26, 1924 – May 3, 1996) was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Athletics/Kansas City Athletics (1948–1958), Cincinnati Reds (1958) and St. Louis Cardinals (1959). Kellner batted right-handed and threw left-handed. He was born in Tucson, Arizona. His younger brother, Walt, also was a major league pitcher.
| Alex Kellner | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: August 26, 1924 Tucson, Arizona | |||
| Died: May 3, 1996 (aged 71) Tucson, Arizona | |||
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 29, 1948, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| June 23, 1959, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 101–112 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.41 | ||
| Strikeouts | 816 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
In a 12-season career, Kellner posted a 101–112 record with 816 strikeouts and a 4.17 ERA in 1,849⅓ innings pitched. He won 20 games for the Athletics in 1949.
Kellner died in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 71.
Best season
- 1949: 20 wins, 37 games started, 19 complete games, 245 innings pitched (all career-highs)
Highlights
- 1949 American League All-Star
- In his 1949 rookie season became the Athletics first 20-game winner since Lefty Grove did it in 1933
- Gave the Athletics their first victory at Fenway Park in three years, beating the Boston Red Sox and Mel Parnell, 6–3, breaking Parnell's 10-winning streak over Philadelphia, and becoming the third left-hander in four seasons to pitch a complete game in Boston April 20, 1951
- Pitched a one-hit 7–0 shutout against the Washington Senators, allowing only a single by Wayne Terwilliger in the eighth inning, April 20, 1954
- A good hitting-pitcher, compiled a .215 batting average (138-for-643) with four home runs, 57 RBI, 49 runs, a triple and 16 doubles
Family
One of three sons (four children) of John Justus and Julietta (Garcia) Kellner, in Tucson, Arizona. His paternal great-grandfather, Johann Justus Kellner, a German immigrant, had arrived in central Texas in 1845.[1] His younger brother, Walt, also was a major league pitcher. The two were teammates in 1952 and 1953.