When Walter Johnson emerged from the California oil fields to become the fireballing ace of the American League with the Washington Senators, he caught the attention of an Akron, Ohio, high schooler, George Sisler.
In the book “My Greatest Day in Baseball,” Sisler recalled to Lyall Smith, “Walter still is my idea of the real baseball player. He was graceful. He had rhythm and when he heaved that ball in to the plate, he threw with his whole body so easy-like that you’d think the ball was flowing off his arm and hand … I was so crazy about the man that I’d read every line and keep every picture of him I could get my hands on.”
Though first base became his featured position, Sisler took up pitching in high school, and at the University of Michigan, because of his admiration for Johnson.
In June 1915, after graduating from Michigan with a degree in mechanical engineering, Sisler signed with the St. Louis Browns, who were managed by his former Michigan baseball coach, Branch Rickey.
On his way to developing into one of the most prolific hitters in baseball, Sisler also pitched for the Browns in 1915 and again in 1916. Matched against his favorite player, Sisler outperformed Johnson _ twice.
Good investment
After Sisler’s sophomore season at Michigan, Rickey left to join the Browns. Batting and throwing left-handed, Sisler continued to excel as a first baseman, outfielder and pitcher as a junior and senior. In “My Greatest Day in Baseball,” Sisler recalled, “All this time I was up at school, I still had my sights set on Walter Johnson … I felt as though I had adopted him … He was really getting the headlines in those days and I was keeping all of them in my scrapbook.”
In Sisler’s final game for Michigan, on June 23, 1915, against Penn, he had three hits and five stolen bases, including a steal of home. With his collegiate career complete, Rickey gave Sisler $10,000 and brought him from campus to the Browns. “In getting Sisler, I staked a lot,” Rickey told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I plunged for the first time in my life and I believe I made no mistake.”
Rickey planned to play Sisler at first base, all three outfield positions and as a pitcher. As the Associated Press noted, Sisler “combined incredible speed (on the field) with remarkable coordination, a great arm and unusual intelligence.”
“My, but he was fast,” Rickey told the wire service, referring to Sisler’s agility. “He was lightning fast and graceful, effortless. His reflexes were unbelievable. His movements were so fast you simply couldn’t keep up with what he was doing. You knew what happened only when you saw the ball streak through the air.”
On June 28, 1915, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Sisler, 22, made his big-league debut. He pinch-hit in the sixth and singled, then stayed in the game and pitched three scoreless innings against the White Sox. Boxscore
“Next day, I was warming up when Rickey came over to me,” Sisler recalled to the Associated Press. “He was carrying a first baseman’s glove.”
“Here,” Rickey said to Sisler, “put this on and get over there to first base.”
Batting in the No. 3 spot, Sisler got a hit, scored a run and fielded flawlessly, making 12 putouts at first. Boxscore
“Rickey would pitch me one day, stick me in the outfield the next and then put me over on first the next three or four,” Sisler said to the Associated Press.
The rookie went on to make 33 starts at first, 26 starts in the outfield and pitched in 15 games, including eight as a starter. His pitching record was 4-4 with a 2.83 ERA and he hit .285, including .341 with runners in scoring position.
Sisler won his first start as a pitcher, a complete game against Cleveland, even though he walked nine, allowed seven hits and plunked a batter. (Cleveland stranded 14 runners.) At Fenway Park in Boston, he got a hit against Babe Ruth and had two RBI and two stolen bases in the game. Boxscore and Boxscore
The season highlight, though, was his duel with Walter Johnson.
Hero worship
On Aug. 28, 1915, after the Browns beat the Senators, 2-1, in 12 innings at St. Louis, Rickey told Sisler he’d be the starting pitcher against Walter Johnson the next day, Sunday, at Sportsman’s Park.
In “My Greatest Day in Baseball,” Sisler said, “I went back to my hotel that night but I couldn’t eat. I was really nervous. I went to bed but I couldn’t sleep. At 4 a.m. I was tossing and rolling around and finally got up and just sat there, waiting for daylight and the big game.”
Johnson entered the contest with a 20-12 record and 1.73 ERA. Sisler was 3-3 with a 2.40 ERA and a batting mark of .301.
“It was one of those typical August days in St. Louis,” Sisler recalled to Lyall Smith, “and when game time finally rolled around it was so hot that the sweat ran down your face even when you were standing in the shadow of the stands.
“All the time I was warming up I’d steal a look over at Johnson in the Washington bullpen. When he’d stretch way out and throw a fastball, I’d try to do the same. Even when I went to the dugout just before the game started, I was still watching him as he signed autographs and laughed with the photographers and writers.”
On the mound, Sisler managed to stay calm, even when the Senators scored a run in the first. Johnson gave up two tallies in the second and then both pitchers got into good grooves.
The first time Johnson batted against Sisler he blooped a single to right. In the fifth, Johnson plunked Sisler with a pitch. Three innings later, Sisler blooped a single against his idol.
In the seventh, Chick Gandil “bounced a single off Sisler’s shins,” according to the Post-Dispatch. “The ball went from the bat to the pitcher’s shin bone on a line. When the contact of ball and bone was heard, the fans gasped. They thought Sisler surely had a broken leg. Sisler didn’t even investigate. He just kept on pitching and retired the next three men in order.”
Tricks of the trade
With the Browns clinging to the 2-1 lead, the key play came in the eighth. Leading off for the Senators, Ray Morgan reached first on an error but injured a leg on his way to the bag. Horace Milan, making his big-league debut, ran for Morgan. Danny Moeller bunted and first baseman Ivon Howard fielded the ball, then flipped it to second baseman Del Pratt, covering first, for the out. Milan moved to second.
With the sleight of hand of a magician, Pratt pretended to throw the ball to Sisler, but instead tucked it under his right arm and returned to his second base position. Milan didn’t notice that Pratt still had the ball. Neither did Senators manager Clark Griffith, who was coaching at first.
When Eddie Foster stepped to the plate, Griffith called out to Milan to take a longer lead off second, so he’d be better able to score on a hit. When Milan drifted far off the bag, keeping his eye on Sisler, Pratt dashed over and tagged out the startled rookie. A big Senators threat was thwarted by the hidden ball trick.
More drama followed in the ninth. With Howie Shanks on first and one out, Walter Johnson batted against Sisler. The Senators put on a hit-and-run play. As Shanks broke from first, Johnson scorched a liner but it rocketed directly to shortstop Doc Lavan, who snared the ball, then threw to first, catching Shanks well off the bag and completing the double play.
In a showdown with his idol, Sisler won. Boxscore
As Sisler left the field, he looked toward the Senators dugout, hoping to make eye contact with Johnson, but he’d already headed to the locker room. Recalling the moment in “My Greatest Day in Baseball,” Sisler said, “I don’t know what I expected to do if I had seen him. For a minute I thought maybe I’d go over and shake his hand and tell him that I was sorry I beat him, but I guess that was just the silly idea of a young kid who had just come face to face with his idol.”
Encore, encore!
The next year, Fielder Jones, who replaced Branch Rickey as Browns manager, used Sisler mostly at first base but he did make three pitching starts, including a rematch with Walter Johnson.
On Sunday, Sept. 17, 1916, at St. Louis, Sisler tossed his lone big-league shutout, beating Johnson and the Senators, 1-0. Sisler escaped several jams and benefited from some fielding gems.
In the first inning, the Senators got two singles, but one runner was out trying to stretch the hit into a double and the other was caught trying to steal second. In the third, the Senators loaded the bases with none out but couldn’t score.
The Browns got their run in the fifth when catcher Grover Hartley’s first hit in two weeks produced a RBI.
The play of the game occurred in the eighth. Ray Morgan led off for the Senators and belted a drive toward the flag pole in the deepest part of the Sportsman’s Park outfield. It had the look of a triple, maybe even an inside-the-park home run, but the Browns’ Cuban center fielder, Armando Marsans, gave chase.
“Going at full speed, with his back toward the diamond, Marsans made a leaping stab with his bare hand, just as the ball was sailing over his shoulder,” the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported.
The Washington Post proclaimed it as “one of the most wonderful feats ever seen in any ballyard.”
The Senators applied more pressure in the ninth, putting two on with one out, but Browns shortstop Doc Lavan, described by the Post-Dispatch as “the gamest little gazelle in the game,” made two nifty fielding plays, ranging far to his left to turn potential infield hits into outs and preserving the win for Sisler. Boxscore
According to the Baseball Hall of Fame, in explaining how his pitching helped his hitting, Sisler said, “I used to stand on the mound, study the batter and wonder how I could fool him. Now when I am at the plate, I can more easily place myself in the pitcher’s position and figure what is passing through his mind.”
Hit man
Years later, Bob Broeg of the Post-Dispatch wrote, “Sisler drew more satisfaction from the two games he pitched (versus Johnson) than from all his batting, baserunning and fielding achievements.”
That’s no small statement because Sisler achieved several stellar feats, including:
_ Twice hitting better than .400 in a season _ .407 in 1920 and .420 in 1922.
_ Wielding a 42-ounce bat, Sisler totaled 257 hits in 1920. Only Ichiro Suzuki (262 in 2004) produced more.
_ Batting .340 for his career and totaling 2,812 hits. Sisler likely would have achieved 3,000 if he didn’t sit out the 1923 season because of a sinus infection that caused double vision.
_ Batting .337, with 60 hits, against Walter Johnson.
_ Four times leading the American League in stolen bases.
Ty Cobb called Sisler “the nearest thing to a perfect ballplayer,” according to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Sisler pitched in 24 games in the majors and was 5-6 with a 2.35 ERA. Cobb went 0-for-6 against him. In 111 innings, Sisler never allowed a home run.
RetroSimba 
I wrote to George Sisler when I was a young boy asking for his autograph. In addition to his autograph, I asked what his greatest thrill in baseball was. He returned the autograph and wrote that his greatest thrill was defeating Walter Johnson 1-0 when he had just gotten out of the University of Michigan. After reading your article, it appears that he conflated the two encounters after so many years. Great article, well written and informative.
Richard Foley
Thanks for sharing your personal story, Richard. I’m so glad you got that George Sisler autograph. What a treasure.
In doing the research for this post, I did see interviews with Sisler in which, decades after he finished playing, just like your experience, he recalled the 1-0 shutout versus Walter Johnson coming in his rookie season of 1915. However, indeed, the shutout, his second win versus Johnson, was in 1916. It’s amazing how the memory works and how it can play tricks. I find it happens to me, too. Makes me appreciate more and more the importance of documentation and accurate record-keeping.
agree 100%. I’m 77 years old now and sometimes cant remember what I had for dinner yesterday! Lol
This is just lovely. What I admire most about this piece is the tenderness threaded through the history…it’s not just baseball; it’s the quiet, very human act of a young man trying to live up to his hero.
I appreciate your observation, Gary, and how you expressed it.
In researching this, I was struck by how, at a time when there was no commercial radio and no television, a high schooler in Ohio could become enthralled by a pitcher for Washington by following his exploits through print publication accounts. A testament to how reading stimulates imagination and creativity.
Another good post Mark thanks. Among the many accomplishments of George Sisler I didn’t know that he also pitched. One can only imagine what he felt emotionally pitching head to head against his idol and hero. One of the many reasons I enjoy your posts about players from long ago is that I always end up looking at those teams from the past, their lineups and in turn learn about players that I had never heard of but deserve to be recognized. In truth, the St. Louis Browns, along with George Sisler had some very good players and some good teams especially in 1922. I noticed that in 1913 Walter Johnson won 36 games. The Senators happened to finish 36 games over .500. That means that without Walter Johnson they were simply an average ball club.
I am grateful for your appreciation of history, Phillip. Like you, I find it ceaselessly fascinating and I enjoy learning from it.
To your point about forgotten, or unheralded, players from that period who deserve to be remembered, or recognized, the Browns’ shortstop, Doc Lavan, like George Sisler, played baseball for coach Branch Rickey at the University of Michigan. Lavan was a graduate of the University of Michigan medical school and became an acclaimed physician. According to the Society for American Baseball Research, Lavan practiced medicine throughout most of his career as a major-league shortstop, served in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps, and had a national leadership role in the fight against polio.
In doing the research for the Sisler post, I also was surprised to learn the 1916 Browns had a Cuban outfielder, Armando Marsans, who made the barehanded catch that helped preserve Sisler’s shutout. In 1898, when Marsans was 11, he moved with his family to New York City, but returned to Cuba a couple of years later. He reached the majors with the 1911 Cincinnati Reds.
Beautiful story, stuff of legends and you told it with tremendous writing Mark, weaving in quotes and anecdotes and your writing….just beautiful. Sisler facing off against his hero as both pitcher and batter and I knew very little of Sisler, just that his daughter was there when Ichiro topped him for single season hit total and I thought that was so special and hits, 257 hits in a season!! That’s incredible. I’m so glad to read this and enjoy once again that moment when Sisler came into the modern mainstream. The announcer referred to the hit mark as “laying in dust piles for 84 years”
Thanks very much, Steve. It delights me that you appreciate the feats of George Sisler.
When Sisler got his 257 hits in 1920, he did so in 631 at-bats. When Ichiro Suzuki got his 262 hits in 2004, he did so in 704 at-bats.
Sisler was consistently excellent in that 1920 season. He hit .404 versus left-handers and .416 against right-handers. In June 1920, Sisler hit an astounding .526 (60-for-114).
Frankie Frisch told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Sisler “was the picture player, truly poetry in motion, entirely graceful in everything he did.”
I wonder if anyone achieved what Sisler did, hitting over.400 from both sides of the plate? I looked up Ted Williams 1941 season. He hit .389 against right handed pitchers and a whopping .453 against southpaws. So much for lefty on lefty match-ups.
I assume it was fairly common at the time for a player to both pitch and play in the field. When did that disappear from baseball? (And, great story!)
Thanks, Ken. In 1915, George Sisler’s rookie season, two of the top pitchers for the pennant-winning Red Sox were Babe Ruth and Smoky Joe Wood. Both were converted into big-league outfielders _ Ruth with the Yankees and Wood with Cleveland.
A bit off topic (Loved Robert Redford in the Natural. Rather have him than Kevin Costner on my team anytime) It being Yom Kippur the other day,, and me being raised a second generation St Louis Jewish-American Cardinal Fan I thought of the Edgar Guest poem, “Come Yom Kippur.” about Hank Greenberg. My father, born in St Louis, 11/27/1913, his parents first natve born child, was raised in the shadow of Sportsman’s Park, loved Jim Bottomley, loved Stan Musial but thought George Sisler was “The Man.” IDOLIZED Pepper, Dizzy, Daffy, and Ducky and the rest of the Gang. In thre honor, every Yom Kippur h read me he Hank Greenberg poem in there honor.He has been gone since April, 1967, but seven months after my Feb 29, 1964 Bar Mitzvah, thirty years after his Gang defeated Greenberg’s to win the crown, we watched from the left fiel bleachers MY GAS HOUSE GANG defeat the Yankee in Game Seven to win the 1964 World Championship. Every Yom Kippur, coinciding with the World Series, I read the Greenberg poem o honor my father.This year I though about MY YiDDISHA BALLPLAYER_YOM KIPPUR connection when, the Year after the Cards won the title, the Dodgers were playing the Twins in Game One, and Koufax refused to pitch. That was massively linked to Hank. (You know the Story.) Anyway, this got me thinking a boy the 1963 season, when the Dodgers were in town on Sept. 18, Rosh Hashana, and every ewish parent told their kid that Sandy Koufax was gonna atend services at their synagouge. Jived us into eagerly attending…(Jived-Again.) Anyway, I checked You Tube for videos of Koufax not pitching, etc, etc. Found this video, watched it andthought of Rosh Hoshana. I reckon you know what happened that night…I though you would hav written about it…It is every bit as famous in my generation: Fifteen Years before light hitting New York Yankee shortstop unexpectedly became Bucky “Fucking” Dent, A light hitting Los Angeles Dodgerr rookie shortstop, in his first major league at bat became forever known as “Dick “Fucking” Nen. I looked him up on your site. Could noy find him, unless I misse him in your Ron Perrinaski column/ Why have you avoided this understandabey painful memory? Please, writing about it will lighten your load…a little.After all, it has only been sixty-two years. Thank you. Love your column. Aloha, Elliott Kolker: Brittany JHS, U. City, ’66. Parkway Central HS, ’69; BA: Urban Planning, Washington Univ, ’69). PS Here’s Sandy>>> https://youtu.be/IwsUHk5_7tg?si=nHJqFCOA7MAvwqv
Hi, Elliott. I enjoyed your comments very much. Thanks for taking the time to post them and thanks for your readership.
Your anecdote regarding the Edgar Guest poem about Hank Greenberg touched my heart. The connection you and your father have to St. Louis baseball is quite special.
I’m surprised, too, that I haven’t written a full post about the Dick Nen home run. Thanks for pointing out the oversight. I’ll have to get to that.
In case you haven’t seen it, you might enjoy this post I did about how the first Opening Day start Sandy Koufax got was against the Cardinals. The post include Koufax’s recommended reading list: https://retrosimba.com/2024/04/09/why-start-versus-cardinals-was-special-for-sandy-koufax/
PS: In her excellent biography of Koufax, “A Lefty’s Legacy,” Jane Leavy told the story of Koufax getting a tryout with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field. One of the Pirates scouts attending the tryout was George Sisler. According to Leavy, when the Pirates wouldn’t budge from their offer of $15,000, Koufax signed with the Dodgers.
Thank you for your prompt reply. Curious how much better my comment fit with your column about George Sisler. Dad loved the Cardinals, but he worshipped the Browns. He always championed the Browns. Although he missed out on Eddie Gaedel, a week later he was one of Bill Veck’s “Grandstand Managers.” I wrote about it on the now defunct Bill James Online. I have it buried in my archives. I’ll dig it out and send it later this week. PS: Having sent my initial comment very late at night, I was appalled at how poorly edited it was. Here is an edited revision.
________
A bit off topic (Loved Robert Redford in the Natural. Rather have him than Kevin Costner on my team anytime) It being Yom Kippur the other day,, and me being raised an assimilated, second generation St Louis Jewish-American Cardinal Fan I thought of the Edgar Guest poem, “Come Yom Kippur.” about Hank Greenberg. My father, born in St Louis, 11/27/1913, his parents first natve born child, was raised in the shadow of Sportsman’s Park. He loved his neighbor, Jim Bottomley, loved Stan Musial but thought George Sisler was “The Man.” IDOLIZED Pepper, Dizzy, Daffy, and Ducky and the rest of the Gang. Every Yom Kippur in their honor, he read me the Hank Greenberg poem. Dad has been gone since April, 1967, but seven months after my Feb 29, 1964 Bar Mitzvah, thirty years after his Gang defeated Greenberg’s to win the crown, we sat together in the left field bleachers as MY GAS HOUSE GANG defeated the Yankee in Game Seven to win the 1964 World Championship. Every Yom Kippur, coinciding with the World Series, I read the Greenberg poem o honor my father. This year I thought about MY YiDDISHA BALLPLAYER-YOM KIPPUR connection when, the Year after the Cards won the title, the Dodgers were playing the Twins in Game One, and Sandy Koufax refused to pitch. That was massively linked to Hank. (You know the Story.) Anyway, this got me thinking about the 1963 season, when the Dodgers were in town on Sept. 18, Rosh Hoshana, and every Jewish parent told their kids that Sandy Koufax was gonna attend services at their synagouge. Jived us into eagerly attending… (Jived-Again.) Anyway, I checked You Tube for videos of Koufax not pitching, etc, etc. Found this (below) video, watched it and thought of Koufax and Rosh Hoshana. I reckon you know what happened that night…I thought you would have written about it…It is every bit as famous in my generation as: Fifteen Years before light hitting New York Yankee shortstop unexpectedly became Bucky “Fucking” Dent, A light hitting Los Angeles Dodgerr rookie shortstop, in his first major league at bat became forever known in St Louis as “Dick ie ‘Fucking’ Nen.” I looked him up on your site. Could not find him, unless I missed him in your Ron Perronaski column. Why have you avoided this understandably painful memory? Please, writing about it will lighten your load…a little. After all, it has only been sixty-two years, and I’m almost over it.. Thank you. Love your column. Aloha, Elliott Kolker: Brittany JHS, U. City, ’66. Parkway Central HS, ’69; BA: Urban Planning, Washington Univ, ’69).
PS Here’s Sandy>>> https://youtu.be/IwsUHk5_7tg?si=nHJqFCOA7MAvwqv
It’s marvelous that your father was one of the “Grandstand Managers” at a Browns game. Baseball sure could use a lot more of Bill Veeck today.
Old Gods:
(Playing Post-Prime Glory)”
For: “The Babe” and “The Man”
The Village Elliott: 2/16
Have you seen, “Old God’s Glory:”
Last Chapter: God’s Story?
If you have, you’d have seen “Old Gods’ Truth.”
Twice saw God’s in my time,
Show “Old Glory: Post-Prime;”
“Truth” I learned in my raw pre-teen youth.
As a “Show Me State” youth,
Was twice shown “Old Gods’ Truth:
True Gods’ Old Glory Shines for All-Time:”
First in film, next, home game:
First fans cheer Young God’s name,
In time, defame, then acclaim: Post-Prime.
First saw “Post-Prime Glory,”
In, “The Babe Ruth Story: (3)
“‘Old’ Saint Bambino,” with Braves; last days; (4)
“Good ‘Old’ Babe” Bendix knew
Old fans and Raw Youth “boo,”
But, Babe’s Bat’s Blasts Brings Back Boo Birds’ Praise. (5)
After game, Babe laughed, “Quit! (6)
Now…front office chair… sit;”
But, Judge ruled, “Quit game; No desk job, Dope:” (7)
Raw rook booed, “Babe should sue,”
“Good Old” Babe blasts that, too,
“Sue Baseball! That’s like suing the Pope!” (8)
Next: Age: Twelve; Cards’ Home Game; (9)By old fan who’d declaim”‘The Man” in left; Musial’s last year; (10)Boo-Bird twice booed, “Too slow!Time to quit, ‘Old Man’, Go!””Innocence Lost” left with second jeer. (11)
Like “Old Babe,” Dad laughed, too,
“Fickle fans “cheer” then “boo;”
Faithful, hopeful fans trust keeps Gods strong;”
Game ends: Old Boo-Bird fan,
Cheers game-walk-off by Stan,
“Still ‘the Man!’ Stan; I knew all along!” (12)
“Old” Babe Ruth’s fickle fans,
Like Old Boo-Bird of Stan’s,
Learned: “Remember Youth’s Faith, Trust, and Hope;
Old Gods don’t fade away,
Not “Saint Babe,” his “last” day;
Or “Cardinal Old Man”, our St. Louis
“Pope.”https://www.baseball-reference.com/b…96305310.shtml
May 31, 1963 San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals
Cardinals beat Giants (6-5).
Friday, May 31, 1963, 8:01PM,
Busch Stadium I Attendance: 21,564, Time of Game: 2:40
.Teams. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Pitchers
Giants 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 10 0 LP: Don Larsen
Cardinals 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 6 10 2 WP :Bob Gibson
Talk about Gods: Look at these four principals.
Old God: Stan Musial
Prime God: Willie Mays
Young God: Bob Gibson
Demigod: Don Larsen
Creative, poetic and from the heart, Elliott. Thanks for sharing.
May 31, 1963 San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals
Cardinals beat Giants (6-5).
Friday, May 31, 1963, 8:01PM,
Busch Stadium I Attendance: 21,564, Time of Game: 2:40
.Teams. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Pitchers
Giants 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 10 0 LP: Don Larsen
Cardinals 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 6 10 2 WP :Bob Gibson
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196305310.shtml
PS: Talk about Gods: Look at these four principals.
Old God: Stan Musial
Prime God: Willie Mays
Young God: Bob Gibson
Demigod: Don Larsen—Always a Brownie…
I left a link to this game in my last comment. Something did not work. This is it.