Willie Keeler portrait pink background

This card files under the descriptive tag "Willie Keeler portrait pink background," the E90-1 American Caramel pose with the distinctive pink-tinted backdrop that marks the variation within the early-1909 set. The player is William Henry "Wee Willie" Keeler (1872–1923), the 5'4" Brooklyn-born outfielder whose advice on hitting — "keep your eye clear and hit 'em where they ain't" — passed into the language. Keeler batted and threw left-handed, choking up several inches on a thick-handled bat to slap line drives through gaps drawn in by his bunting threat. He played 19 major-league seasons from 1892 to 1910, won back-to-back National League batting titles with the Baltimore Orioles in 1897 and 1898, and at the time of this card was finishing out his career with the New York Highlanders, the franchise filed in our records as the Yankees. He died January 1, 1923 in Brooklyn at age 50 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939 by the Veterans Committee. The pink-background variation of the E90-1 portrait is the standard issue, distinct from the harder-to-find alternate hue.