Antonio Keller

Antonio Pedro Keller (Tonchi)

• Born January 31, 1955 in Bonaire Netherlands

Biographical Information

Antonio Keller was on the Netherlands Antilles national team.

He moved to Curacao when he was 5 years old. He defeated Italy in the 1972 Haarlem Baseball Week and was with the Antilles for the 1973 FIBA Amateur World Series. In 1975, he helped the WildCats win the Antillean title, striking out Willy Pieters for the final out. The New York Yankees offered him a deal in 1976 but he turned them down so he could keep competing in amateur competitions. In the 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games, he shut out Colombia for the lone Antillean win. He won Male Athlete of the Year in '78. He was Pitching Champion in 1979. He reinforced Kinheim in the Hoofdklasse that summer and played in the 1979 European Cup, winning a game. Rejoining the Royal Scorpions for the Antillean season, he won a title with them then won with the WildCats in 1980. An injury that year forced him to transition to coaching.

Source: Wayback Archive, Curacao Olympic Committee Hall of Fame