Sisler, George
David Doose (talk | contribs) m (→External links) |
David Doose (talk | contribs) m |
||
| Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
'''George Harold Sisler''' (March 24, 1893 - March 26, 1973), nicknamed "Gorgeous George," was an [[United States|American]] star [[first baseman|first basemen]] in [[Major League Baseball]]. He set hitting records which only Ichiro Suzuki has equalled in the last eighty four years. [[Ty Cobb]] called him "the nearest thing to a perfect ballplayer." He is widely regarded as having been one of the greatest players in [[Baltimore Orioles|St. Louis Browns]] history and was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]]. | '''George Harold Sisler''' (March 24, 1893 - March 26, 1973), nicknamed "Gorgeous George," was an [[United States|American]] star [[first baseman|first basemen]] in [[Major League Baseball]]. He set hitting records which only Ichiro Suzuki has equalled in the last eighty four years. [[Ty Cobb]] called him "the nearest thing to a perfect ballplayer." He is widely regarded as having been one of the greatest players in [[Baltimore Orioles|St. Louis Browns]] history and was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]]. | ||
| + | An unheralded superstar of the 1920's he was a versatile player: a skilled [[pitcher]], a fearsome hitter (.340 lifetime average, batting over .400 twice) and, later, an excellent [[first baseman]], the first to be inducted into the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] (1939). Afterward, he moved into management and scouted (and gave batting training to) [[Jackie Robinson]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Early life== | ||
Born in the unincorporated hamlet of Manchester, Ohio, which is about 12 miles south of [[Akron, Ohio|Akron]], in Summit County and having played college ball for coach [[Branch Rickey]] at the [[University of Michigan]], where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering, Sisler came into the major leagues as a pitcher for the [[St. Louis Browns]] in [[1915 in sports|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; like [[Babe Ruth]], he was too good a hitter to be limited to hitting once every four days. 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 games victories. | Born in the unincorporated hamlet of Manchester, Ohio, which is about 12 miles south of [[Akron, Ohio|Akron]], in Summit County and having played college ball for coach [[Branch Rickey]] at the [[University of Michigan]], where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering, Sisler came into the major leagues as a pitcher for the [[St. Louis Browns]] in [[1915 in sports|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; like [[Babe Ruth]], he was too good a hitter to be limited to hitting once every four days. 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 games victories. | ||
| Line 53: | Line 56: | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| + | *Sisler, George. 1954. ''Sisler on Baseball; a manual for players and coaches''. with a foreword by Branch Rickey. New York: D. McKay Co. OCLC 1483217 | ||
| + | *Sisler, George. 1988. How to raise your batting average. [S.l.]: Horton Pub. Co. ISBN 0944786243 | ||
| + | *Sisler, George. 1934. ''The knack of batting and how to select and care for your bat''. Louisville, KY: Hillerich & Bradsby Co. Inc. OCLC 36243983 | ||
| + | *Huhn, Rick. 2004. ''The Sizzler: George Sisler, baseball's forgotten great''. Sports and American culture series. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 0826215556 | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| Line 70: | Line 77: | ||
{{succession box | title=[[Baltimore Orioles/Managers and ownership|St. Louis Browns Manager]] | before=[[Jimmy Austin]] | years=1924-1926| after= [[Dan Howley]]}} | {{succession box | title=[[Baltimore Orioles/Managers and ownership|St. Louis Browns Manager]] | before=[[Jimmy Austin]] | years=1924-1926| after= [[Dan Howley]]}} | ||
{{succession box | before = [[Ty Cobb]] | title = [[Base hit|Single season base hit record holders]]| years = | after = [[Ichiro Suzuki]]}} | {{succession box | before = [[Ty Cobb]] | title = [[Base hit|Single season base hit record holders]]| years = | after = [[Ichiro Suzuki]]}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
{{end box}} | {{end box}} | ||
[[Category:Biography]] | [[Category:Biography]] | ||
{{Credit|134624081}} | {{Credit|134624081}} | ||
Revision as of 02:49, 22 December 2007
{{{image caption}}}
| |
| Personal Info | |
|---|---|
| Birth | March 24, 1893, Manchester, Ohio |
| Death: | March 26, 1973, Richmond Heights, Missouri |
| Professional Career | |
| Debut | June 28, 1915, St. Louis Browns |
| Team(s) | As Player St. Louis Browns(1915-1922, 1924-1927) Washington Senators (1928) Boston Braves (1928-1930) |
| HOF induction: | 1939, St. Louis Browns |
| Career Highlights | |
| American League MVP: 1922 [1] | |
George Harold Sisler (March 24, 1893 - March 26, 1973), nicknamed "Gorgeous George," was an American star first basemen in Major League Baseball. He set hitting records which only Ichiro Suzuki has equalled in the last eighty four years. Ty Cobb called him "the nearest thing to a perfect ballplayer." He is widely regarded as having been one of the greatest players in St. Louis Browns history and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
An unheralded superstar of the 1920's he was a versatile player: a skilled pitcher, a fearsome hitter (.340 lifetime average, batting over .400 twice) and, later, an excellent first baseman, the first to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (1939). Afterward, he moved into management and scouted (and gave batting training to) Jackie Robinson.
Early life
Born in the unincorporated hamlet of Manchester, Ohio, which is about 12 miles south of Akron, in Summit County and having played college ball for coach Branch Rickey at the University of Michigan, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering, Sisler came into the major leagues as a pitcher for the St. Louis 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; like Babe Ruth, he was too good a hitter to be limited to hitting once every four days. 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 games victories.
|
| George Sisler is a member of Baseball Hall of Fame |
In 1920 Sisler not only played every inning of each game, but stole 42 bases (second in the American League), collected 257 hits for an average of .407, and ended the season by hitting .442 in August and .448 in September. In breaking 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 159 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 homers.
Sisler did even better in 1922, hitting 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 Twentieth 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. One of the rare first basemen who were also a threat on the basepaths, Sisler stole over 25 bases in every year from 1916 to 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 to see double, forcing him to miss the entire season. While Sisler continued to hit over .300 after he returned in 1924, he never regained the level of brilliance he had enjoyed before. 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 St. Louis 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 fifteen years in the majors. He stole 375 bases during his career. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. Outside of St. Louis' Busch Stadium there is a statue honoring Sisler.
Sisler's sons, Dick and Dave, were also major league players in the 1950s. Another son, George Jr., served as a minor league executive and as the president of the International League.
George Sisler died in Richmond Heights, Missouri at age 80.
In 1999, he ranked Number 33 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
In 2004 Ichiro Suzuki broke George Sisler's record of 257 hits in a season, and extended it to 262 hits.
Legacy
Sisler's sons, Dick and Dave, were also major league players in the 1950s; another son, George Jr., was played in the minor leagues and later was the International League president.
Notes
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Sisler, George. 1954. Sisler on Baseball; a manual for players and coaches. with a foreword by Branch Rickey. New York: D. McKay Co. OCLC 1483217
- Sisler, George. 1988. How to raise your batting average. [S.l.]: Horton Pub. Co. ISBN 0944786243
- Sisler, George. 1934. The knack of batting and how to select and care for your bat. Louisville, KY: Hillerich & Bradsby Co. Inc. OCLC 36243983
- Huhn, Rick. 2004. The Sizzler: George Sisler, baseball's forgotten great. Sports and American culture series. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 0826215556
External links
- Official George Sisler website Cmgww.com. Retrieved December 21, 2007.
- "George Sisler Biography", National Baseball Hall of Fame, Retrieved June 1, 2007.
- George Sisler Thebaseballpage.com. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
- "George Sisler Statistics", Baseball-Reference.com, Retrieved June 1, 2007.
- How Good was George Sisler? Baseballpiggies.blogspot.com. Retrieved December 22, 2007.
- "The Obit for George Sisler", The Deadball Era, Retrieved June 1, 2007.
Articles
- Vass, George. 2005. Remarkable one-season performances Findarticles.com. (Baseball Digest) Retrieved December 22, 2007.
| Preceded by: Ty Cobb |
American League Batting Champion 1920 |
Succeeded by: Harry Heilmann |
| Preceded by: Harry Heilmann |
American League Batting Champion 1922 |
Succeeded by: Harry Heilmann |
| Preceded by: Eddie Collins |
American League Most Valuable Player 1922 |
Succeeded by: Babe Ruth |
| Preceded by: Jimmy Austin |
St. Louis Browns Manager 1924-1926 |
Succeeded by: Dan Howley |
| Preceded by: Ty Cobb |
Single season base hit record holders |
Succeeded by: Ichiro Suzuki |
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:
The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:
Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.
