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American baseball player and coach (1893–1973)
other people named George Sisler

George Harold Sisler (March 24, 1893 – March 26, 1973), nicknamed "Gorgeous George", was an American professional baseball first baseman and player manager. From 1915 through 1930, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Browns, Washington Senators, and Boston Braves. He managed the Browns from 1924 through 1926. Sisler played college baseball for the University of Michigan and was signed by the St. Louis Browns in 1915. He won the American League (AL) batting title in 1920 and 1922. In 1920, he batted .407 and recorded 257 hits, the record until Ichiro Suzuki had 262 in 2004. Sisler won the AL Most Valuable Player Award in 1922, finishing with a batting average of .420, the third highest batting average by AL or NL players after 1900. An attack of sinusitis caused vision troubles that jeopardized Sisler's career, but he returned to playing in 1924, remaining in the major leagues through the 1930 season. After Sisler retired as a player, he worked as a major league scout and aide. A two time batting champion and career .340 hitter, Sisler led the league in hits twice, triples twice, and stolen bases four times. He collected 200 or more hits six times in his career and had a batting average of over .300 a total of 13 times throughout his career. Sisler was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

George Harold Sisler was born on March 24, 1893, in the unincorporated hamlet of Manchester (now part of the city of New Franklin, a suburb of Akron), Ohio. His parents, Cassius Clay and Mary (née Whipple) Sisler, had been married after meeting at Hiram College, which they both graduated from. Both worked as schoolteachers at one point, though by the time George was born, Cassius was supervising a nearby coal mine. Manchester did not have a high school; thus, when George turned 14, he moved to Akron to live with his older brother Efbert so that he could attend school there. Sisler played baseball, basketball, and football in high school, but baseball was his main focus. Because of his good looks, the local newspapers began referring to him as "Gorgeous George".

In 1910, Sisler signed a professional contract with the Akron Champs of the Ohio–Pennsylvania League, but he never played in the league or earned any money. Instead, he followed his parents' wishes and attended the University of Michigan, where he majored in mechanical engineering and played college baseball. Freshmen were not allowed to play on Michigan's varsity teams, so Sisler pitched for an intra campus team representing the school's engineering students in 1912, striking out 20 batters in seven innings during one game. After the season, he pitched for an industrial team in Akron. Barney Dreyfuss, owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, was impressed when he observed Sisler in a game. He purchased Sisler's contract and tried to force the player to join his ballclub in 1912. Refusing to report, Sisler was placed on the Pirates' suspended list, which threatened his professional eligibility. Recognizing he was in trouble, Sisler consulted Branch Rickey, Michigan's baseball coach. A former lawyer, Rickey determined that the contract should not bind Sisler, since the ballplayer signed it as a minor without the consent of his parents. Rickey and Detroit Judge George P. Codd contacted the National Commission, baseball's governing body, asking for the contract to be declared illegal. The Commission failed to come to a decision in 1912 because one of its members, August Herrmann, thought Sisler should give the Pirates the first right to sign him, while Codd wanted the contract declared completely void. After Sisler's junior year, with the time when he would play professional ball nearing, Codd pressed Herrmann for a decision, threatening to sue for triple damages. Herrmann obtained a legal opinion that agreed with Sisler's position, and the Commission finally ruled the contract void in 1914. Meanwhile, Sisler joined Michigan's varsity team as a sophomore in 1913. He excelled on the mound for the Wolverines until a sore arm limited him late in the season. Offensively, he led the team with a .445 batting average, playing the outfield on days he was not pitching so his bat could remain in the lineup. Sporting Life proclaimed him "the greatest college pitcher", and Vanity Fair named him an All American for the first of three consecutive years. Over the summer of 1913, Sisler consulted Youngstown physician John D. "Bonesetter" Reese about his sore arm. The Wolverines were now coached by Carl Lundgren, hired as Rickey's successor after the former coach took a job with the St. Louis Browns. Sisler was feeling back in form by the time the season started, and his teammates voted him captain of the Wolverines. He helped the Wolverines hold opponents scoreless for 44 straight innings, personally striking out 10 batters in a row before reinjuring his arm in a game against Syracuse. At the end of the season, he had two hits, three runs scored, and two stolen bases in the first of two victories over the Penn Quakers that gave the Wolverines the 1914 college baseball national championship. Sisler did not remain the captain in 1915, as Edmon McQueen was selected this time. Coach Lundgren planned to use him less as a pitcher early on in hopes that his arm would not be sore by the end of the year. Though pitching statistics for the year were not kept, Sisler had one game where he limited the Cornell Big Red to one hit, and in another game he struck out 14 Notre Dame players. He graduated in the summer of 1915 with his degree in mechanical engineering. On June 28, 1915, Sisler made his major league debut, entering as a pitcher in relief against the Chicago White Sox. He pitched three scoreless innings and struck out two batters, while at the plate he collected his first major league hit, which came against Jim Scott. Initially, the stress of learning a new position sent Sisler into a batting slump, but after Rickey let him pitch another game, his confidence began to grow. Sisler still pitched and played the outfield as well in 1915; on August 29, he defeated Walter Johnson in a complete game, 2–1 victory. Offensively, he batted .285 with three home runs, while as a pitcher, he had a 4–4 record and what biographer Rick Huhn termed a "very respectable" 2.83 earned run average (ERA). In 1916, Sisler became the Browns' full time first baseman, playing the position for 141 of the team's 158 games. His .305 batting average led the team, as did his hits (177) and slugging percentage (.400). He made only three appearances on the mound that year, but in his most notable, on September 17, he threw a shutout, defeating Johnson and the Senators 1–0. On August 11, 1917, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics, Sisler recorded three hits in four at bats. The performance began a 26 game hitting streak, during which Sisler batted .422. For the season, he led the team in most offensive categories, and his .353 batting average was second in the AL, behind Ty Cobb's .383. Following the American entry into World War I, the draft was enacted in the 1917 18 offseason. Browns Urban Shocker and Ken Williams were both drafted during the 1918 season, but Sisler's Class 4 status kept him playing baseball for the whole year. Due to the war, the season ended on September 1, making it a month shorter than usual. Playing 114 games, Sisler led the AL with 45 stolen bases and placed third in the AL with a .341 batting average. Sisler enlisted in the army, joining several major league players as a second lieutenant in a Chemical Warfare Service unit commanded by Rickey. Undergoing training at Camp Humphreys in Virginia, Sisler was preparing to go overseas until the war ended that November, relieving him from his military obligation. Returning to the Browns in 1919, Sisler struggled offensively at the beginning of the year, batting .207 through May 11. His hitting improved thereafter, and Sisler led the AL in batting average and stolen bases by mid August, while the Browns, at 47–40, were still in the race for the AL pennant. On August 22, the normally quiet natured Sisler nearly exchanged blows with Carl Mays. Thinking that the Yankee pitcher was throwing at him and suspecting Mays of using an illegal substance, Sisler convinced umpire George Moriarty to search Mays, which Moriarty took 10 minutes to do. Nothing was found, and Mays and Sisler yelled at each other, squaring off to fight before Moriarty stepped between them and separated them. The Browns struggled late in the season, finishing fifth in the AL with a 62–72–1 record, but Sisler finished the year leading the team in all offensive categories except games played. His .352 average ranked third in the AL, and his 10 home runs were topped in the league only by Babe Ruth's 29. That season, Sisler played every inning of each game. He collected an MLB record 257 hits, batting .407 and ending the season with averages of .442 in August and .448 in September. The total broke Cobb's 1911 record of 247 hits in a single season. After tying the old record on September 27, Sisler set the new one on a day that was coincidentally dedicated to him, in which he was presented with a $1,000 check, a $1,500 silver service, and flowers before the game at Sportsman's Park. His record lasted until 2004, when Ichiro Suzuki had 262 hits. The Browns remained in the race until September 30, the second to last day of the season, when a Yankee win over the Red Sox clinched the pennant for New York. Sisler's .420 batting average remains the third highest of American and National League (NL) players in the 20th century, surpassed only by Nap Lajoie's .426 in 1901 and Rogers Hornsby's .424 in 1924. Sisler also led the AL in hits (246), runs (134), stolen bases (51), and triples (18). In 2011, Kostya Kennedy of Sports Illustrated wrote that many baseball historians consider Sisler's season among the best individual all around single season performances in baseball history. Jim Barrero of the Los Angeles Times asserted in 2000 that Sisler's 257 hits record was largely overshadowed by Ruth's 54 home runs that same year. "Of course, Ruth's obliteration of the home run record drew all the attention from fans and newspapermen, while Sisler's mark was pushed to the side and perhaps left unappreciated during what was a golden age of pure hitters", Barrero wrote. He had surgery to treat the condition on April 13, and received treatment from an eye specialist afterwards. By May, it was clear that the vision trouble was long term, jeopardizing Sisler's chances of ever playing again. As a result, the Browns acquired Dutch Schliebner to play first base for them that season. During the year, he and many of his Browns teammates signed a petition to AL president Ban Johnson seeking to get Dave Danforth reinstated, after Johnson suspended Danforth 10 games for allegedly tampering with baseballs. Manager Lee Fohl refused to sign it and was fired days later. Sisler's eye treatments concluded by the end of the year, and the Browns hoped he would be able to play again in 1924. Sisler ensured he would remain with them by accepting the managerial position after the 1923 season, his worries about its effect on his hitting now counterbalanced by the uncertainty surrounding his playing career. Most people were in favor of the move, and sportswriter Joe Vila wrote, "Sisler, in the opinion of the sharps, is a born leader." Sisler later recalled, "I planned to get back in uniform for 1924. I just had to meet a ball with a good swing again, and then run. The doctors all said I'd never play again, but when you're fighting for something that actually keeps you alive – well, the human will is all you need." He batted .305 in 1924, nearly 100 points below his combined batting average for 1920–22. He also led AL first basemen with 23 errors. As the ballclub's manager, Sisler asked his players for advice. "He's one of the fellows, but he's the leader", said Ken Williams. He did not have a set bedtime or wake up time for the ballclub, unlike several other MLB managers. Despite his "player's manager" reputation, Sisler would still discipline his squad when necessary, as he proved in May when he fined Shocker for skipping and showing up late to several Browns games with no explanation. After a fifth place finish in the eight team AL in 1923, the Browns posted an identical 74–78 record in 1924, this time good for fourth in the league. Sisler started the 1925 season by setting an MLB record with hits in his first 34 games of the year. Later in the season, he would have a 22 game hitting streak. Ruth said on May 10 that the Browns player was "staging the greatest come back ever known to baseball  the league ought to strike a medal for iron nerve and give it to George. He has whipped the worst odds any ball player ever played against." Sisler had his fourth and final 100 RBI season, with 105 runs driven in, and he batted .345. With a record under .500 on July 30, the Browns were never in close contention for the AL pennant, but they finished the year with an 82–71 record, good for third place in the league. In 1926, the injury plagued Browns lost their first five games along with 16 out of 19 in a May road trip. There were reports as early as May that Sisler's managerial job was in jeopardy, and on June 1, St. Louis sportswriter J. Roy Stockton blamed the team's struggles on Sisler's easygoing attitude, saying that the Browns "have taken advantage of his kindness". With the team struggling, Sisler saw his RBI production diminish. He struggled in August, batting .038 in his first seven games and going hitless in 17 consecutive at bats during that time. In 150 games, he had seven home runs and 71 RBIs. His .290 batting average was his lowest since he batted .285 as a rookie in 1915. Sisler was relieved of his managerial duties after the season, though he was retained as the Browns' first baseman.

Sisler batted .400 early in the 1927 season. On May 3, he had three hits and stole home in a 13–3 victory over the Cleveland Indians. In August, St. Louis sportswriter John E. Wray wrote that "were it not for the surprising flash of Lou Gehrig, Sisler [batting .340] would have the first base championship of the American League wrapped up and tucked away." Defensively, he led AL first basemen in errors once again, with 24. On December 14, Sisler was traded to the Senators for cash, reported as $15,000 in Washington and $25,000 in St. Louis.

Washington's first base job was not automatically Sisler's, as the Senators also had Joe Judge, a popular player who had hit over .300 the previous year. Though he outhit Judge .363 to .205 in spring training, Sisler's mobility was diminished, and Judge won the starting job. He made only two starts through Washington's first 28 games before starting seven games in a row at first base or in left field from May 19 through 25, though this was to get other teams interested in acquiring him. On May 27, the Senators sold his contract to the Boston Braves for $7,500. Receiving a standing ovation from the Boston fans in his first game at Braves Field on May 29, he showed enough speed for an infield hit. Two days later, he hit a home run that bounced through the window of a bus passing the ballpark. Returning to Sportsman's Park for a series against the Cardinals in July, he was honored with a flower basket, a silver tea service, and a letter from St. Louis mayor Victor J. Miller in a pregame presentation on July 7. In 118 games for Boston, Sisler had four home runs and 68 RBIs, also posting a .988 fielding percentage at first base. His .340 batting average put him percentage points ahead of Babe Herman for fourth in the NL. After batting .222 through May 5, 1929, in one of his slowest ever starts to a season, Sisler batted .400 in May. He had three hit games against Pittsburgh and Chicago in August. Playing all 154 games, he batted .326, topping 200 hits (with 205) for the sixth time in his career and leading the Braves in nine offensive categories. For the second time in three years, Sisler found his first base job threatened, as the Braves were interested in giving the position to Johnny Neun, a speedy player eight years younger than Sisler. The veteran did not start any of Boston's first 19 games, but after the Braves suffered a seven game losing streak, Sisler resumed his role as the everyday first baseman on May 11. He batted over .300 for the Braves but lost the role to Neun in September, partly because of a leg injury. On September 22, he played his last game for the Braves, going hitless in a pinch hit appearance during a 6–2 loss to the Cubs. On December 13, the Braves released him. In the second game of a September 10 doubleheader, Sisler hit a walk off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, clinching the International League pennant for Rochester. In 159 games, he batted .303 and struck out just 17 times out of 613 at bats.

Sisler accumulated a .340 lifetime batting average over his 16 years in the major leagues and stole 375 bases during his career. He had 200 or more hits in six seasons. He hit over .300 thirteen times, including two seasons in which he hit over .400; 1926 was his only full season in which his average was less than .300. He stole over 25 bases in every year from 1916 through 1922, peaking with 51 the last year and leading the AL three times, plus a fourth in 1927. The Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954 and became the Orioles; Sisler holds the franchise career records with 145 career triples and 351 stolen bases. He holds the franchise single season records for batting average (.420, 1922), on base percentage (.467, 1922), hits (257, 1920), on base plus slugging (1.082, 1920), and total bases (399, 1920). He also posted a career pitching record of 5–6 with a 2.35 earned run average in 24 career appearances.

Sisler became one of the first entrants elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. "I think it's the greatest honor the game can offer a retired player and it's a satisfaction to know that your career is still remembered, years after you have hung up your glove", he said. In his prime, Sisler would always try to control where his hits ended up. He batted flat footed, using a stance that would enable him to hit either to left or to right field. Among baseball's fastest runners, he stole 30 or more bases six times in his career, leading his league in stolen bases in four seasons. Though he led his league in errors multiple times after his vision troubles, he was an excellent fielder before the ailment, and Lamberty refers to him as "[a]rguably the first great first baseman of the twentieth century". Rickey said that Sisler "was the smartest hitter who ever lived. He was a professional with the bat in his hands. He never stopped thinking  In the field, he was the acme of grace and fluency." According to Bill Lamberty of the Society for American Baseball Research, a contemporary writer claimed that Sisler possessed "dazzling ability of the Cobbesque type. He is just as fast, showy, and sensational, very nearly if not quite as good as a natural hitter, as fast in speed of foot, an even better fielder, and gifted with a versatility Cobb himself might envy." Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson wrote in 1922 that Sisler was "every bit as valuable as Ruth, some people think more valuable", noticing also that Sisler was much humbler than his New York counterpart. Two years before, writer Floyd Bell had also described Sisler as "modest, almost to a point of bashfulness, as far from egotism as a blushing debutante  Shift the conversation to Sisler himself and he becomes a clam." In 1999 editors at The Sporting News ranked Sisler 33rd on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players". Outside of St. Louis' Busch Stadium, there is a statue of Sisler. He is also honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. While in St. Louis for the 2009 All Star game, Ichiro Suzuki, who had broken Sisler's hit record, visited the former Browns' grave site. Tarpon Springs, Florida honored George by naming the former spring training home of the St. Louis Browns "Sisler Field". The playing surface is still in use by various local teams.

In 1933, Sisler partnered with Charles Nelson to open the Sisler Nelson Sporting Goods Company in St. Louis. That same year, they formed the American Softball Association, building several softball fields with lights for night games around St. Louis to help stimulate interest in the game and the business. He also joined Hornsby for three winters as an instructor at the Ray Doan Baseball School in Hot Springs, Arkansas. In 1936 and 1937, Sisler served as a color commentator for Browns and Cardinals home games broadcast on KWK. He sold his interest in the sporting goods store in 1940 at a profit. Sisler was part of a scouting corps that Rickey assigned to evaluate black players, though the scouts thought they were looking for players to fill an all black baseball team separate from MLB. After seeing the Kansas City Monarchs play in 1945, Sisler thought Jackie Robinson had the potential to be a star second baseman, though he was concerned about whether Robinson had enough arm strength to play shortstop. Rickey signed Robinson on October 23, and the ballplayer broke the MLB color barrier two years later on his way to a Hall of Fame career. In 1947, Sisler was reassigned to Brooklyn, where his duties expanded to evaluating Dodger prospects, meeting with the manager and coaches prior to and following each game, and watching games to help Dodger catchers learn what opposing hitters were likely to do. In 1949, Robinson spent hours working with Sisler in spring training, hoping to improve his performance at the plate. "Sisler showed me how to stop lunging, how to check my swing until the last fraction of a second, [and] how to shift my feet and hit to right. I'll never stop being grateful to him," Robinson recalled. Sisler and Rickey worked with future Hall of Famer Duke Snider to teach the young Dodgers hitter to accurately judge the strike zone. Other hitters Sisler instructed and helped improve included Carl Furillo and Gil Hodges. In 1951, he signed future star pitcher Johnny Podres for the Dodgers. After the Dodgers were edged out by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1950 NL pennant race, Rickey was dismissed by the team. Taking a job as the Pirates' general manager, he hired Sisler as his Scouting Supervisor, responsible for evaluating prospects within 100 miles of Pittsburgh. He held the position until 1955, when new GM Joe L. Brown relieved him from the role but retained him as a scout. Following the regular season, Sisler and other coaches would tutor top prospects at a post season minor league school. Acting on a tip from Clyde Sukeforth, Sisler journeyed to Montreal to see Roberto Clemente play, recommending that Rickey sign the future Hall of Famer. As he had in Brooklyn, Sisler helped his team's players with their hitting. "He  told me I was taking my eye off the ball. He moved me back in the box so I could watch the ball better. He told me to hit the ball where it was pitched. Warned me not to pull it", recalled Frank Thomas, who would play for 16 seasons and hit 286 career home runs. "Sisler teaches us to be ready for the fast ball and adjust our swing for the curve. If you're looking for a curve and get a fast ball, you never hit it. But you can cut down on the speed of your swing to hit the curve", said 1960 NL MVP Dick Groat. In 1961, Sisler had Clemente switch to a heavier bat. Clemente won the league batting title that season. Sisler's duties with the Pirates changed again in 1963, when the ballclub assigned him to be a scout for the St. Louis area responsible for evaluating NL players. Sisler also instructed players in spring training and coached a fall instructional league team in Chandler, Arizona. Willie Stargell was one of the Chandler team's alumni. After spending eight days at St. Louis's St. Mary's Hospital, Sisler died in Richmond Heights, Missouri, on March 26, 1973, of kidney failure exacerbated by heart trouble. His death came two days after his 80th birthday. His funeral occurred in St. Louis a few days later, and his cremated remains were laid to rest at the Des Peres Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

In 1913, Sisler met his future wife, Kathleen Charlotte Holznagle. Both were involved in Greek life at the University of Michigan. They were married on October 21, 1916. Sisler did not consume alcohol or tobacco, and he refrained from swearing. As he battled eye trouble in 1923, Browns part owner Walter Fritsch suggested he "look into" Christian Science. Soon a strong believer in its power, Sisler had spiritual adviser Dr. John Randall Dunn accompany him to Browns spring training in 1924, when he made his comeback. Sisler discussed hitting in a 1934 pamphlet entitled The Knack of Batting and in a 1954 book entitled Sisler on Baseball: A Manual for Players and Coaches. Sportscaster Red Barber said in 1969 that the book was "still the definitive book on hitting". Sisler's sons Dick and Dave were also major league players in the 1950s. George was a Dodgers scout in 1950 when Dick hit a game winning home run against Brooklyn to clinch the pennant for the Phillies and eliminate the second place Dodgers. Asked after the pennant winning game how he felt when his son hit the home run, George replied, "I felt awful and terrific at the same time." Another son, George Jr., served as a minor league executive and as the president of the International League. The Sislers had one other child, daughter Frances.