Alston, Kell elected as members of Class of 1983

Walter Alston and George Kell went about their business in a low-key manner, content to let their work do all the talking.

When that work was finished, their reward was a place in Cooperstown.

On March 10, 1983, Alston and Kell were elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. They joined Juan Marichal and Brooks Robinson – who were elected two months earlier by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America – in the Class of 1983.

Kell was a broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers at the time of his election and was in Detroit when Hall of Fame President Ed Stack attempted to contact him at his home in Swifton, Ark. Stack finally got through to Kell after Kell’s wife tracked him down.

“It’s great – I’m flying!” Kell said according to the Associated Press. “It’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Kell played 15 big league seasons for the Athletics, Tigers, Red Sox, White Sox and Orioles, compiling a .306 batting average and .367 on-base percentage. A 10-time All-Star at third base, Kell won the 1949 American League batting title and topped the .300 batting average mark nine times. He led the AL in fielding percentage seven times.

Alston debuted as the Dodgers manager in 1954 as Kell was winding down his playing career. Alston appeared in one game in the major leagues as a player, striking out in his only at-bat for the Cardinals in 1936. But as a manager, Alston proved to be a hit – leading the Dodgers to seven National League pennants and four World Series championships.

Alston’s Dodgers teams reached the 90-win mark 10 times and finished below .500 in just four seasons. He worked each of his 23 campaigns with the Dodgers with a one-year contract, posting a career record of 2,040-1,613 for a .558 winning percentage.

“It’s like winning a World Series,” Alston told the Associated Press about being elected to the Hall of Fame. “You’re nervous in anticipation. When it’s over, it’s several hours before you get the real impact and can appreciate it.”

Alston managed three distinct Dodgers teams to the World Series, spanning the era between the team’s success in Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

Carl Erskine, who pitched for Alston for the Dodgers from 1948-59, told the AP that it was “awfully quiet around Dodgertown after Leo Durocher and Charlie Dressen,” contrasting Alston’s laid-back style against the fiery Dodgers managers that preceded him. “But Walt got his message across. Once after a mediocre Spring Training, he called the team together and said: ‘You guys are all pros. You know what the price is. Pay it.’”

Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum