Keltner, Third Baseman Who Helped Stop DiMaggio’s Streak, Dies at 75

Ken Keltner, the third baseman who gained fame for helping stop Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, died Thursday of an apparent heart attack at his suburban New Berlin home.

He was 75.

Keltner was an All-Star with the Cleveland Indians in the 1930s and 1940s. He made two outstanding backhand plays on July 17, 1941, to rob DiMaggio of base hits. DiMaggio went 0 for 3 that night at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium, ending the longest hitting streak in major league history.

DiMaggio then hit safely in the next 16 games, so the magic number might have been 73 if not for Keltner.

The golden anniversary of the streak was this summer and Keltner was feted on many occasions along with the former New York Yankee star.

Keltner played 13 seasons in the major leagues, all but the last one with the Indians. He compiled a .276 lifetime average with 163 home runs.

His best season for average was 1939, when he batted .325 with 191 hits. He hit 31 home runs with 119 runs batted in at age 37 in 1948.