KEELER, WEE WILLIE

born March 3, 1872, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S. died Jan. 1, 1923, Brooklyn byname of William Henry Keeler American professional baseball player, nicknamed for his height of 5 feet 4 1/2 inches, whose place-hitting ability (Hit 'em where they ain't) made up for his lack of power. An outfielder who batted and threw left-handed, Keeler played in the major leagues from 1892 to 1910 and achieved a career batting average of .341 or .345. (Many early baseball records are in dispute.) He reached his peak with the Baltimore Orioles (189498) of the National League. His highest average for a single season was .424 or .432 in 1897; he won the league batting championship that year and in 1898 with .379 or .385. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.