King Kelly

Michael Joseph "King" Kelly, also commonly known as "$10,000 Kelly", was an American outfielder, catcher, and manager in various professional American baseball leagues including the National League, International Association, Players' League, and the American Association. He spent the majority of his 16-season playing career with the Chicago White Stockings and the Boston Beaneaters. Kelly was a player-manager three times in his career – in 1887 for the Beaneaters, in 1890 leading the Boston Reds to the pennant in the only season of the Players' League's existence, and in 1891 for the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers – before his retirement in 1893. He is also often credited with helping to popularize various strategies as a player such as the hit and run, the hook slide, and the catcher's practice of backing up first base.

31 December 1857

Born on the same birth day (31 December): Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan • Avram Hershko • Ben Hannant • Calvin Zola • Corey Crawford • Edmond Sumner • Edward Bunker • Gerardo Lugo (footballer, born 1984) • Giovanni Boldini • Herman Boerhaave • Jean-Pierre Rives • Lawrence Beesley • Luis Zuloaga • Margaret Simpson • Michael McDonald (comedian) • Michal Řepík • Mies Bouwman • Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein • Rob Penders • Rosalind Cash • Silvestre Revueltas • Steve Bruce • Tatyana Shmyga • The Rocket Summer

Born in the same month (December 1857): Joseph Carruthers • Joseph Conrad • Mathilde Kralik • Sydney Young (chemist) • Sylvio Lazzari