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Noted for his roundhouse, off-speed curve, Kellner was 20-12 as a rookie in 1949 despite walking 129 batters while fanning only 94. He led the AL with 20 losses the next year and tied for the 1951 loss lead (14) as the A's plummeted into the second division. He never again won more than 12. Like longtime teammate and pal Bobby Shantz, Kellner worked hard at hitting and fielding to help his cause, batting .215 lifetime. He remained with the A's (joined briefly in 1952-53 by brother Walt, a pitcher) until waived to the Reds in mid-1958. His 7-3 record, 2.30 ERA, and .282 average the rest of the way helped his former A's manager Jimmy Dykes keep the Reds in distant contention. Kellner was swapped to the Cardinals after the season, and recurring shoulder trouble ended his career. (MC)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » October 1, 1949: Alex Kellner wins his 20th to finish the season as the A's first 20-game winner since Lefty Grove in 1933. A future pitching trend is foretold by the record of Yankee ace Allie Reynolds (17-6), who finishes only 4 of 31 starts. Dave Koslo of the Giants is the surprise ERA leader in the NL, but his 2.50 mark contains not a single shutout. » July 5, 1950: In a sloppy game that features 18 walks, Cliff Mapes drives in five runs with a homer and single to pace the Yankees to a 12–8 win over the Athletics. Tommy Byrne (9-3) is the winner despite giving up six hits and six walks in five innings (he walks two in the 6th). He also hits four batters to tie the ML record. Alex Kellner pitches four innings, giving up six runs in the loss. The A's lose Eddie Joost who tears ligaments in his left knee in a collision with Mapes at 2B in the 7th. » April 20, 1951: The A's win their first game at Fenway since September 12, 1948, beating the Sox, 6–3. Making it sweeter is besting Mel Parnell, winner of 10 straight over Philadelphia. The A's break a 3-3 tie in the 8th with three runs to make Alex Kellner the winner, just the 3rd lefty since 1948 to go the distance in Fenway. » May 13, 1951: At Philadelphia's Shibe Park, Mickey Mantle hits his first righty homer, off Alex Kellner, in the majors, then makes the last out by popping up his bunt attempt with the tying run on 3rd. The A's win 5–4, then win the nitecap as well. Mantle has no homers in the 2nd game loss, but misses 2nd base on a hit. » August 11, 1951: Eddie Joost homers in the 9th for the A's, who tie the Yanks 4–4, but the Yanks win in 11, 7–4. Sloppy fielding and a two-run single by Berra account for the scoring. The win goes to reliever Bob Kuzava, late of the Senators, while Alex Kellner takes the loss. » April 20, 1954: Philadelphia's Alex Kellner allows only a Wayne Terwilliger 8th-inning single in defeating Washington 7–0. » May 16, 1957: The Yankees top Kansas City 3–0 behind Bob Turley's four-hit shutout. Mickey Mantle has a homer off Alex Kellner, the 11th time in his last 12 at bats he's reached base safely. That night a group of Yankees celebrate Billy Martin's 29th birthday in a raucous fashion. An ensuing fight at Manhattan's Copacabana Club leads to $5,500 in fines and the eventual trade of Billy to Kansas City. Hank Bauer allegedly starts the fight by hitting a patron, although Bauer denies it. The Yanks fine Whitey Ford, Bauer, Yogi Berra, Mantle and Martin $1,000 each and Johnny Kucks $500.