Robert Keller

Position: Second Base
Born: Hagerstown, MD Dec 12, 1916
Last Known Address: Hagerstown, MD
Military Service: US Army (ETO)

Robert Keller played second base for two seasons with Orlando of the Florida State League and a year with Harrisburg of the Interstate League before entering military service in November 1940.

Private Keller served with the 116th Infantry Regiment in England where he played ball with the 116th Yankees - ETO champions in 1943. The team were underdogs in the ETO tournament and defeated a strong Eighth Air Force team in a thrilling final to clinch the championship. The 116th also achieved this championship without having other teams to play against prior to the tournament, despite all other teams involved being in structured league setups. "There was a dog track near our barracks and we set up a diamond in the middle, " recalls Keller. "That's where we used to train."

"Our commanding officer sent us a nice thank you letter," Keller explains. "He also gave us a plaque with our names and ETO Champs 1943 on it and seven days leave."

After the war Keller continued to play semi-pro baseball in Hagerstown and tried to get back in to pro ball. "I tried to play baseball," Keller says. "I could still hit but my legs gave out on me.

"You couldn't buy a job, but my sister owned a restaurant and I went to work for her."

(Thanks to Robert Keller for help with his biography)

Copyright © 2007 Gary Bedingfield (Baseball in Wartime). All Rights Reserved.