Dick Sisler
Encyclopedia
Richard Alan Sisler was an American
player, coach
and manager
in Major League Baseball
. A native of St. Louis, Missouri
, Sisler 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
.
Dick Sisler attended Colgate University
. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed, stood 6 inch tall and weighed 205 lb (93 kg). He was a journeyman
left fielder
and first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals
(1946–47, 1952–53), Philadelphia Phillies
(1948–51) and Cincinnati Reds
(1952). In an eight-season career, Sisler was a .276 hitter
with 55 home runs and 360 RBI
in 799 games
. He made the National League All-Star
team in 1950
.
, 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 flat-footed tie for the 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
.
Dick's father, George Sr.
, was a Brooklyn scout 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."
with the AA Nashville Vols
and AAA Seattle Rainiers
, Sisler became a coach for Cincinnati in , serving under manager Fred Hutchinson
. In August , Sisler was promoted to acting manager under tragic circumstances when Hutchinson, suffering from cancer
, had to give up the reins. Sisler 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, Sisler brought the Reds home fourth in 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 60s he was still working with young players as an instructor in the Cardinals' farm system.
Dick Sisler died in Nashville, Tennessee
at age 78.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
player, coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. A native of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Sisler was the son of Hall of Fame first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
and two-time .400 hitter George Sisler
George Sisler
George Harold Sisler , nicknamed "Gentleman George" and "Gorgeous George," was an American professional baseball player for 15 seasons, primarily as first baseman with the St. Louis Browns...
. Younger brother Dave Sisler
Dave Sisler
David Michael Sisler was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from through . Early in his career, Sisler was a starter, then later was used as a middle reliever and occasionally as a closer...
was a relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
in the 1950s and 1960s with four MLB teams, and older brother George Jr.
George Sisler, Jr.
George Sisler, Jr. was the general manager of three Minor League Baseball teams and served as the president of the International League from 1966 to 1976. Four times he won the International League Executive of the Year award...
was a longtime executive in minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
.
Dick Sisler attended Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed, stood 6 inch tall and weighed 205 lb (93 kg). He was a journeyman
Journeyman (sports)
A journeyman or journeywoman is an athlete or professional sports player who is technically competent, but unable to excel. In certain parts of the world the term has less negative connotations and the inability to excel is not needed for a player to be labelled thus.-Definitions:Alexandra Allred...
left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
and first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
(1946–47, 1952–53), Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1948–51) and Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1952). In an eight-season career, Sisler was a .276 hitter
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
with 55 home runs and 360 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
in 799 games
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
. He made the National League All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
team in 1950
1950 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1950 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 17th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 11, 1950, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois the home of the...
.
1950 pennant-winning home run
His MLB career was distinguished by one shining moment. On the closing day of the season, at Ebbets FieldEbbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
, he hit a tenth-inning, opposite-field, three-run home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
against the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
that would give the "Whiz Kids"
Whiz Kids (baseball)
The Whiz Kids was a nickname given to the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies in Major League Baseball. This team, averaging only 26.4 years of age, won the National League pennant during that season.After owner R. R. M. Carpenter, Jr...
Phillies
1950 Philadelphia Phillies season
The Philadelphia Phillies won the National League pennant by two games over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Nicknamed the "Whiz Kids" because of the youth of their roster, they went on to lose the World Series to the New York Yankees in four straight games....
their first National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
pennant in 35 years. Had Philadelphia lost, the Phillies and Dodgers would have finished in a flat-footed tie for the championship and a best-of-three playoff would have resulted. The home run made Sisler world-famous; Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
feted him in his novel The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea is a novel written by American author Ernest Hemingway in 1951 in Cuba, and published in 1952. It was the last major work of fiction to be produced by Hemingway and published in his lifetime. One of his most famous works, it centers upon Santiago, an aging fisherman who...
.
Dick's father, George Sr.
George Sisler
George Harold Sisler , nicknamed "Gentleman George" and "Gorgeous George," was an American professional baseball player for 15 seasons, primarily as first baseman with the St. Louis Browns...
, was a Brooklyn scout 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."
Coaching and managerial career
After managing in the minor leaguesMinor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
with the AA Nashville Vols
Nashville Vols
The Nashville Vols were a minor league baseball team based in Nashville, Tennessee from 1901 to 1963; the team was inactive in 1962. Known as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers in 1908 for the state's nickname, The...
and AAA Seattle Rainiers
Seattle Rainiers
The Seattle Rainiers, originally named the Seattle Indians and also known as the Seattle Angels, were a minor league baseball team in Seattle, Washington, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903-06 and 1919-68...
, Sisler became a coach for Cincinnati in , serving under manager Fred Hutchinson
Fred Hutchinson
Frederick Charles Hutchinson was an American professional baseball player, a major league pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. He also was a manager for three major league teams...
. In August , Sisler was promoted to acting manager under tragic circumstances when Hutchinson, suffering from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, had to give up the reins. Sisler 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, Sisler brought the Reds home fourth in 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
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. In his late 60s he was still working with young players as an instructor in the Cardinals' farm system.
Dick Sisler died in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
at age 78.
See also
- List of second generation MLB players