Dave Sisler

David Michael Sisler (October 16, 1931 – January 9, 2011) was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from through.

Early in his career, Sisler was a starter, then later was used as a middle reliever and occasionally as a closer.

He reached the majors in with the Boston Red Sox after he completed a two-year obligation in the active military.

After three-and-a-half seasons with the Red Sox, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in and served the team through the season.

Sisler was born on October 16, 1931, in St. Louis, Missouri, to George Sisler, a Baseball Hall of Fame player, and Kathleen.

He played baseball and two other sports at John Burroughs School.

When he was 16, he went to work for his father, a coach in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization, who allowed him to keep statistics and occasionally to pitch.

The Dodgers did not pursue a contract with him, due in part to his commitment to Princeton University and future military obligation.

He played baseball and basketball at Princeton, where in 1951, his earned-run average was 0.99.

After Sisler graduated, magna cum laude, he was signed by the Boston Red Sox of the American League (AL), and began his professional baseball career at the age of 21 in 1953 for the Albany Senators in the class-A Eastern League.

He pitched in 21 games that season, 20 as their starting pitcher; he had a 12–7 win–loss record and an ERA of 2.60 in 135 innings pitched.

In 1954 and 1955, he served on active duty with the U.S. military and did not play professional baseball.

After his military commitment, he re-joined the organization, and began the season with the Red Sox.

His most productive years came with Boston, where he won 24 games from 1956 to 1958, averaging 138 innings each season.

After that, he appeared strictly as a reliever and saved a career-high 11 games for the Senators.

In a seven-season career, Sisler posted a 38–44 record with a 4.33 ERA in 247 appearances, including 29 saves, 12 complete games, one shutout and 656 1⁄3 innings.

He made his major league debut on April 26, 1956, a one-inning relief appearance against the New York Yankees.

His first MLB victory came seven days later, a three-inning relief appearance against the Yankees in Boston.

On August 5, in his sixth start, he pitched a seven-inning complete game 2-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians and their pitching star, future Hall of Famer Bob Lemon.

In total, he appeared in 39 games his first season, 14 as their starting pitcher, had a 9–8 win–loss record with three saves, 98 strikeouts, and a 4.66 ERA in 142 1⁄3 inning pitched.

He tied for the AL league with a 1.000 fielding percentage by not committing a single error, although he had the sixth highest total of hit batsmen with seven.

Following the season, Sisler was praised for his performance; he was selected by Boston area sportswriters as the "Harry Agganis Award" winner, given annually to whom they voted as the top Boston Red Sox rookie, and was named to the 1956 "Rookie All-Star Team".

On January 17, 1957, Sisler was re-signed by the Red Sox.

The Red Sox expected Sisler to be a candidate for a pitching rotation slot.

He impressed his coaching staff during early spring practices, manager Mike "Pinky" Higgins commented that Sisler "looks good; he's more mature and shows more confidence".

When the regular season began, he was initially effective, winning three games against one defeat in his first four starts, including two complete game victories against the Yankees.

At this point, he was 4–0 against the Yankees, earning him the moniker "Yankee Killer" from sportswriter Chester L. Smith of the Pittsburgh Press.

Although his ERA of 4.88 was considered high, it was due in large part to his loss against the Kansas City Athletics who scored six earned runs in just two innings.

On July 4, he defeated the Yankees once again, making him 5–0 against them in his career, and 7–4 overall for the 1957 season, and had lowered his ERA to 4.02.

That was his last victory of the season, however, which he followed with two consecutive losses, pitching a total of four innings; he did not appear in another game until September 2.

He recorded a save against the Baltimore Orioles on September 7, but closed the season with two consecutive losses against the Yankees, though he pitched well in the second game, giving up just three hits and two earned runs in eight innings.

His season totals include a 7–8 record, and a 4.72 ERA in 122 1⁄3 inning pitched.

Sisler began the 1958 spring training in spectacular form, pitching a total of nine hitless innings and allowed just one baserunner in 28 batters faced; the last 27 in order.

However, he finished the spring with two consecutive losses, including one to the Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom his father was a special assistant to their manager.

He opened the regular season with a complete game victory against the Yankees on April 16.

Before the season, he was selected by the Washington Senators in the 1960 Major League Baseball expansion draft, for whom he played the season.

He was then traded to the Cincinnati Reds in, playing one season at the major league level, and one in their minor league system.

Sisler retired from baseball after the 1963 season to become an investment firm executive, a career that lasted for over 30 years, retiring as a vice-chairman for A. G. Edwards.

His father, Hall of Famer George Sisler; and one of his brothers, Dick Sisler, also played baseball at the major league level; while another brother, George Sisler, Jr., was a general manager for several minor league baseball teams, and later became president of the International League from 1966 to 1976.

He was the last pitcher from Princeton to start a major league game until Chris Young in 2004.