Sig Jakucki
Encyclopedia
Sigmund "Jack" Jakucki was a pitcher
in Major League Baseball
. He played for the St. Louis Browns
.
In 1935, Jakucki went 15-14 for Galveston of the Texas League
. The Browns purchased him the following year, but he pitched poorly for them, going 0-3 with a 8.71 earned run average
in 20.2 innings.
Jakucki quit the minor leagues in 1938. He moved on to various semi-pro teams in Texas while also working as a paperhanger. During World War II
, however, the Browns ran short of players and re-signed him. In 1944, he returned to the majors and went 13-9 with a 3.55 ERA. He defeated the New York Yankees
, 5 to 2, in the final game of the 1944 season to clinch the pennant for St. Louis. He lost his only start in the 1944 World Series
.
In 1945, Jakucki went 12-10. However, he was also very temperamental and an alcoholic. He apparently derived pleasure in tormenting teammate Pete Gray
, who had only one arm. One day, the two got into an argument and settled it with a fight, with Sig holding one arm behind his back. Jakucki was kicked off the team by manager Luke Sewell
late in the season and never returned to the majors.
He died in Galveston, Texas
, at the age of 69, reportedly destitute.
Jakucki's name, misspelled "Jackucki," appears in the sheet music for Dave Frishberg
's song "Van Lingle Mungo
".
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
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...
. He played for the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
.
In 1935, Jakucki went 15-14 for Galveston of the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
. The Browns purchased him the following year, but he pitched poorly for them, going 0-3 with a 8.71 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 20.2 innings.
Jakucki quit the minor leagues in 1938. He moved on to various semi-pro teams in Texas while also working as a paperhanger. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, however, the Browns ran short of players and re-signed him. In 1944, he returned to the majors and went 13-9 with a 3.55 ERA. He defeated the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, 5 to 2, in the final game of the 1944 season to clinch the pennant for St. Louis. He lost his only start in the 1944 World Series
1944 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 4, 1944 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, MissouriGeorge McQuinn hit the Brown's only home run of the series to put his team ahead in the fourth inning, while Denny Galehouse outpitched World Series veteran Mort Cooper to hold on for the win.-Game 2:Thursday, October 5,...
.
In 1945, Jakucki went 12-10. However, he was also very temperamental and an alcoholic. He apparently derived pleasure in tormenting teammate Pete Gray
Pete Gray
Pete Gray was a professional baseball player best known for playing in the major leagues despite having lost his right arm in a childhood accident.-Early life:...
, who had only one arm. One day, the two got into an argument and settled it with a fight, with Sig holding one arm behind his back. Jakucki was kicked off the team by manager Luke Sewell
Luke Sewell
James Luther Sewell was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Cleveland Indians , Washington Senators , Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Browns . Sewell batted and threw right-handed...
late in the season and never returned to the majors.
He died in Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, at the age of 69, reportedly destitute.
Jakucki's name, misspelled "Jackucki," appears in the sheet music for Dave Frishberg
Dave Frishberg
Dave Frishberg is an American jazz pianist, vocalist and composer born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Frishberg resisted learning classical piano as a boy, developing an interest in blues and boogie-woogie by listening to recordings by Pete Johnson and Jay McShann. As a teenager he played in the house...
's song "Van Lingle Mungo
Van Lingle Mungo
Van Lingle Mungo was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher known for his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Mungo played for the Dodgers from to . At the end of his baseball career, he played with the New York Giants....
".