George Sisler
- For the minor league baseball executive, see George Sisler, Jr. For the Medal of Honor recipient, see George K. Sisler.
| George Sisler | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| First Baseman | |
| Born: March 24, 1893 Manchester, Ohio |
|
| Died: March 26, 1973 (aged 80) Richmond Heights, Missouri |
|
| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| June 28, 1915 for the St. Louis Browns | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 22, 1930 for the Boston Braves | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .340 |
| Hits | 2,812 |
| Home runs | 102 |
| Runs batted in | 1,175 |
| Teams | |
|
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
|
| Induction | 1939 |
| Vote | 85.8% (fourth ballot) |
George Harold Sisler (March 24, 1893 – March 26, 1973), nicknamed "Gentleman George" and "Gorgeous George," was an American professional baseball player for 15 seasons, primarily as first baseman with the St. Louis Browns). From 1920 until 2004, Sisler held the Major League Baseball (MLB) record for most hits in a single season, a mark which still stands for the 154-game season in which he played.
His 1922 season — during which he batted .420, hit safely in a then-record 41 consecutive games, led the American League in hits (246), stolen bases (51), and triples (18), and was, by general consensus, the best fielding first baseman in the game — is considered by many historians to be among the best individual all-around single-season performances in baseball history.[1]
Sisler was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.[2] In 1999, he received the eighth-largest number of first base-category votes in fan balloting for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, and editors at The Sporting News named him 33rd on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."
Contents |
Life and career [edit]
Sisler was born in the unincorporated hamlet of Manchester (now part of the city of New Franklin, a suburb of Akron, Ohio[3]). His paternal side ancestors were immigrants from Northern Germany in the middle of 19th century. He played college ball for coach Branch Rickey at the University of Michigan, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering. While at Michigan he was a member of Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. Sisler entered the major leagues as a pitcher for the Browns in 1915. He signed as a free agent after the minor league contract he had signed as a minor four years earlier, and which the Pittsburgh Pirates had purchased, was declared void. The following year he switched to first base, to fully utilize his hitting skills. He posted a record of 5–6 with a 2.35 earned run average in 24 career mound appearances, twice defeating Walter Johnson in complete-game victories.
In 1920, Sisler played every inning of each game, stole 42 bases (second in the American League), collected a Major League-leading 257 hits for an average of .407 (the latter stat being the highest ever for a 600+ at-bat performance in MLB history), and ended the season by hitting .442 in August and .448 in September. In breaking Ty Cobb's 1911 record for hits in a single season, Sisler established a mark which stood until Ichiro Suzuki broke the record with 262 hits in 2004. Suzuki, however, collected his hits over 161 games during the modern 162-game season (as opposed to 154 in Sisler's era). Also in 1920, Sisler finished second in the AL in doubles and triples, as well as second to Babe Ruth in RBIs and home runs.
In 1922, Sisler hit safely in 41 consecutive games - an American League record that stood until Joe DiMaggio broke it in 1941. His .420 batting average is the third-highest of the 20th century, surpassed only by Rogers Hornsby's .424 in 1924 and Nap Lajoie's .426 in 1901. He was chosen as the AL's Most Valuable Player that year, the first year an official league award was given, as the Browns finished second to the New York Yankees. Sisler stole over 25 bases in every year from 1916 through 1922, peaking with 51 the last year and leading the league three times; he also scored an AL-best 134 runs, and hit 18 triples for the third year in a row.
In 1923, however, a severe attack of sinusitis caused him double vision, forcing him to miss the entire season. While Sisler continued to hit over .300 after he returned in 1924, he never regained his previous level of play. Even so, he continued to hit over .300 in six of his last seven seasons, and led the AL in stolen bases for a fourth time in 1927.
In 1928, the Browns sold Sisler's contract to the Washington Senators, who in turn sold the contract to the Boston Braves in May. After batting .340, .326 and .309 in his three years in Boston, he ended his major league career with the Braves in 1930, then played in the minor leagues. He accumulated a .340 lifetime batting average over his 16 years in the majors. Sisler stole 375 bases during his career. He became one of the early entrants elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame when he was selected in 1939. Outside of St. Louis' Busch Stadium, there is a statue honoring Sisler. He is also honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.[4]
Post-playing career [edit]
After his playing career, Sisler reunited with Rickey as a special assignment scout and front-office aide with the St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. Sisler's sons Dick and Dave were also major league players in the 1950s. Sisler was a Dodgers scout in 1950 when his son Dick hit a game-winning home run against Brooklyn to clinch the pennant for the Phillies and eliminate the second-place Dodgers. When asked after the pennant winning game how he felt when his son beat his current team, the Dodgers, George replied, "I felt awful and terrific at the same time."[5]
Another son, George Jr., served as a minor league executive and as the president of the International League.
Sisler died in Richmond Heights, Missouri, in 1973, while still employed as a scout for the Pirates.
In October 2004, Ichiro Suzuki broke Sisler's 84 years old hit record, collecting his 258th hit off of former Texas Rangers pitcher Ryan Drese. Sisler's daughter Frances Sisler Drochelman and other of his family members were in attendance when the record was broken.[6]
While in St. Louis for the 2009 All-Star game, Ichiro Suzuki visited Sisler's grave site.[7]
See also [edit]
.jpg){kind=small}
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball hit records
- List of Major League Baseball players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
- List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1,000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1,000 runs batted in
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
- List of Major League Baseball player–managers
- List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball
- Hitting for the cycle
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
References [edit]
- ^ Kennedy, Kostya (March 14, 2011). The Streak. Sports Illustrated Magazine, Volume 14, No.ll, p. 64.
- ^ "St. Louis Browns franchise". sportsecyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
- ^ DeLorme. Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer. 7th ed. Yarmouth: DeLorme, 2004, p. 51. ISBN 0-89933-281-1.
- ^ St. Louis Walk of Fame. "St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees". stlouiswalkoffame.org. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ^ "Sisler vs. Sisler". Toledo Blade. 1950-10-02. p. 24.[dead link]
- ^ "258...plus 1". SportsIllustrated.CNN.com. 2005-10-01. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4329684
External links [edit]
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- George Sisler at Find a Grave
- George Sisler at the Baseball Hall of Fame
- The Deadball Era
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ty Cobb Sam Rice Johnny Mostil |
American League Stolen Base Champion 1918 1921–1922 1927 |
Succeeded by Eddie Collins Eddie Collins Buddy Myer |
| Preceded by Eduard Benes |
Cover of Time Magazine 30 March 1925 |
Succeeded by John Ringling |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Jimmy Austin |
St. Louis Browns Manager 1924–1926 |
Succeeded by Dan Howley |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by Ty Cobb |
Single season base hit record holders 1920–2004 |
Succeeded by Ichiro Suzuki |
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|||||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|||||
|
||||||||
|
- 1893 births
- 1973 deaths
- American people of German descent)
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Major League Baseball first basemen
- Major League Baseball player–managers
- American League batting champions
- American League stolen base champions
- Boston Braves players
- St. Louis Browns players
- Washington Senators (1901–1960) players
- St. Louis Browns managers
- Boston Braves coaches
- Pittsburgh Pirates coaches
- Brooklyn Dodgers scouts
- Pittsburgh Pirates scouts
- Minor league baseball managers
- Rochester Red Wings players
- Shreveport Sports players
- Michigan Wolverines baseball players
- National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
- College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
- Baseball players from Ohio
- People from Akron, Ohio
