Buddy Kerr

John Joseph "Buddy" Kerr (1922-2006) was an American shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1943 through 1951. He played for the New York Giants from 1943 to 1949 and the Boston Braves in 1950 and 1951. Kerr hit a home run in his first major league at-bat in September 1943 but was known chiefly as a defensive shortstop with a light bat. He led National League shortstops in assists, putouts, and double plays in 1945 and posted a .982 fielding average in 1946. Between 1946 and 1947 he played 68 consecutive games without an error, a major league record for shortstops that stood until 1989. He was selected to the All-Star team in 1948 and received minor consideration in National League Most Valuable Player voting in 1945 and 1946. He was the Giants' regular shortstop until he was traded to the Boston Braves before the 1950 season, in a deal that sent him, Willard Marshall, and Sid Gordon to Boston in exchange for Alvin Dark and Eddie Stanky. His playing career spanned the years during and after World War II.