Keeler was built to hit singles: he stood only 5-4, weighed 140 pounds, was the master of the drag bunt and was fast to first. Baseball gets enough of its traditions from him to fill a small pamphlet: he authored the phrase “hit ‘em where they ain’t” and was the inventor of the “Baltimore Chop” — defined by our friend Paul Dickson as “a batted ball that hits the ground close to home plate and then bounces high in the air, allowing the batter time to reach first base safely.” The tactic, perfected by Keeler, was used by the O’s of the 1890s to win three pennants. Keeler’s biggest fan might well have been Pittsburgh great Honus Wagner, who was in awe of Keeler’s skills and viewed him as one of the toughest outs in baseball: “Keeler could bunt any time he chose,” Wagner said. “If the third baseman came in for a tap, he invariably pushed the ball past the fielder. If he stayed back, he bunted. Also, he had a trick of hitting a high hopper to an infielder. The ball would bounce so high that he was across the bag before he could be stopped.”

Keeler’s “hit ‘em where they ain’t” quote is a perfect reflection of the man. While the Orioles of the 1890s were a rowdy bunch — body blocking and tripping their way to some of the best records in the game prior to 1900 — Keeler remained one of the team’s quiet players. He didn’t have a lot to say. He batted sixth in a line-up of dead-ball era speedsters that included hall of fame first baseman Dan Brouthers, second baseman Heine “gapper” Reitz (who once had a season where he hit more triples than doubles) and the inimitable John Joseph McGraw, who held down third, and whose train wreck personality would later make him one of baseball’s best managers: and assure him of a place in the hall of fame. The Orioles of the 1890s were a great team: Joe Kelley would later go on to enter the hall (playing for a time with Keeler in Brooklyn before ending his career in Cincinnati and with the Braves in Boston), as would Hughie Jennings, a slick fielding shortstop and lifetime .311 hitter. In 1896, Keeler, McGraw, Kelley and Jennings sat for a portrait (slicked hair, parted in the middle, the style of that time — and all the rage) that belied their trade: young men (friends all) who just happened to be ball players. It was his legendary ability to “hit ‘em where they ain’t” that made Wee Willie Keeler a legend in baseball, but breaking his record will put Ichiro in the Hall of Fame.