www.c-bstatesman.George Kell LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) - George Kell, a Hall of Fame third baseman who outdueled Ted Williams for the 1949 American League batting title , died on Tuesday. He was 86.

Jackson's Funeral Home in Newport confirmed the death but did not give a cause. The Hall of Fame said he died in his sleep at his home in Swifton. Kell was severely injured in a car crash in 2004 but was able to walk with a cane about six months later.

Kell edged Williams for the 1949 batting crown, hitting .34291 while the Boston Red Sox great finished at .34276. Kell played 15 seasons in the AL, hitting more than .300 nine times and compiling a career average of .306. He was a 10-time Major League Baseball All-Star.

Kell played from 1943-1957 with the Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles. He batted more than .300 each year from 1946-53. He played for the Tigers during his batting duel with Williams.

After he retired, Kell broadcast Tigers games from 1959 to 1996. Kell grew up in Swifton and lived in the same house from his birth to when it burned down in 2001, then was rebuilt on the same land.