Dick Sisler

Dick Sisler
First baseman / Outfielder
Born: November 2, 1920(1920-11-02) St. Louis, Missouri
Died: November 20, 1998(1998-11-20) (aged 78) Nashville, Tennessee
Batted: Left	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 16, 1946 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
August 1, 1953 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Career statistics
Batting average	.276
Home runs	55
RBI	360
Teams
St. Louis Cardinals (1946-1947, 1952-1953) Philadelphia Phillies (1948-1951) Cincinnati Reds (1952)
Career highlights and awards
All star in 1950

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, 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 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 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.

1950 pennant-winning home run

His MLB career was distinguished by one shining moment. 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 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."^[1]

Coaching and managerial career

After managing in the minor leagues with the AA Nashville Vols and AAA Seattle Rainiers, Sisler became a coach for Cincinnati in 1961, serving under manager Fred Hutchinson. In August 1964, 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 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 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.

See also

Sisler's 1951 Bowman baseball card

• List of second generation MLB players

References

1. ^ "Sisler vs. Sisler". Toledo Blade: p. 24. 1950-10-02. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7P8ZAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Bg4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3278,1188745&dq=dick+george+sisler&hl=en. 

Further reading

• Rich Ashburn (1975-09). "When Dick Sisler Had His Moment in the Spotlight". Baseball Digest. http://books.google.com/books?id=yDMDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60&dq=1950+phillies&lr=&client=firefox-a#v=onepage&q=1950%20phillies&f=false. 
• John Garrity (1989-08-14). "The College Of Cardinals". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1068685/1/index.htm. 

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• The Deadball Era

Preceded by Fred Hutchinson

Cincinnati Reds Manager 1964-1965

Succeeded by Don Heffner

Persondata
Name	Sisler, Dick
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 2, 1920
Place of birth	St. Louis, Missouri
Date of death	November 20, 1998
Place of death	Nashville, Tennessee