Dick Sisler
Dick Sisler | |
---|---|
First baseman / outfielder | |
Born: St. Louis, Missouri | November 2, 1920|
Died: November 20, 1998 Nashville, Tennessee | (aged 78)|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
debut | |
April 16, 1946, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
Last appearance | |
August 1, 1953, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
Career statistics | |
Batting average | .276 |
Home runs | 55 |
RBI | 360 |
Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
Career highlights and awards | |
Richard Alan Sisler (November 2, 1920 – November 20, 1998) was an American player, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, he was the son of Hall of Fame first baseman and two-time .400 hitter George Sisler. Younger brother Dave Sisler was a relief pitcher in the 1950s and 1960s with four MLB teams, and older brother George Jr. was a longtime executive in minor league baseball.
Career
Sisler attended Colgate University. He was a journeyman left fielder and first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals (1946–1947; 1952–1953), Philadelphia Phillies (1948–1951) and Cincinnati Reds (1952). In an eight-season career, he hit .276 with 55 home runs and 360 RBI in 799 games. He made the National League All-Star team in 1950. On the closing day of the 1950 season, at Ebbets Field, he hit a tenth-inning, opposite-field three-run home run against the Brooklyn Dodgers that would give the "Whiz Kids" Phillies their first National League pennant in 35 years. Had Philadelphia lost, the Phillies and Dodgers would have finished in a flatfooted tie for the NL championship and a best-of-three playoff would have resulted. The home run made Sisler world-famous; Ernest Hemingway feted him in his novel The Old Man and the Sea.
His father, George Sr., was a scout for Brooklyn in 1950. 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."[1]
Coaching and managerial career
After managing in the minor leagues with the Double-A Nashville Vols and Triple-A Seattle Rainiers, Sisler became a coach for Cincinnati in 1961, serving under manager Fred Hutchinson. In August 1964, he was promoted to acting manager under tragic circumstances when Hutchinson, suffering from terminal cancer, was forced to give up the reins. He led the Reds to a 32–21 record, and the team finished in a second-place tie (with the Phillies), one game behind the Cardinals. After his formal appointment as manager in October 1964, he brought the Reds home fourth in 1965 with an 89–73 mark before his dismissal at season's end. He then returned to the major league coaching ranks with the Cardinals, San Diego Padres and New York Mets. In his late sixties, he was still working with young players as an instructor in the Cardinal farm system.
He died at 78 in Nashville, Tennessee.
See also
References
- ^ "Sisler vs. Sisler". Toledo Blade. 1950-10-02. p. 24.
Further reading
- Rich Ashburn (1975-09). "When Dick Sisler Had His Moment in the Spotlight". Baseball Digest.
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(help) - John Garrity (1989-08-14). "The College Of Cardinals". Sports Illustrated.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
- The Deadball Era
- 1920 births
- 1998 deaths
- Asheville Tourists players
- Baseball players from Missouri
- Cincinnati Reds coaches
- Cincinnati Reds managers
- Cincinnati Reds players
- Colgate University alumni
- Columbus Red Birds players
- Decatur Commodores players
- Lansing Lancers players
- Major League Baseball first basemen
- Major League Baseball left fielders
- Major League Baseball coaches
- Nashville Volunteers players
- New Orleans Pelicans players
- New York Mets coaches
- Philadelphia Phillies players
- St. Louis Cardinals coaches
- St. Louis Cardinals players
- San Diego Padres coaches
- San Diego Padres (minor league) players
- Sportspeople from St. Louis, Missouri
- Washington Red Birds players