| Sibby Sisti | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Utility player | |
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| July 21, 1939 for the Boston Bees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 6, 1954 for the Milwaukee Braves | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .244 |
| Home runs | 27 |
| Runs batted in | 260 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Sebastian Daniel "Sibby" Sisti (July 26, 1920, Buffalo, New York—April 24, 2006, Buffalo), was an American Major League Baseball utility player.
Playing career[edit]
Sisti stood 5' 11" (180 cm) tall and weighed 175 pounds (79 kg). His perseverance in the face of numerous injuries made him a fan favorite.[1]
Known for his versatility, Sisti played every position except pitcher and catcher during his big league career. He made his major league debut with the Boston Bees on July 21, 1939 and remained with the club (later known as the Braves) until World War II. He served in the United States Coast Guard from 1943-1945. After returning from the war, the Braves had no place for him in their lineup, and he spent most of 1946 with the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association. He hit .343 for the club and was named Minor League Player of the Year by The Sporting News.[2]
The following year he returned to the Braves. In 1948, he played a key role in the club's run to the World Series, filling in for injured second baseman Eddie Stanky for part of the season.[3] He remained with the team when they became the Milwaukee Braves in 1953 and retired in 1954 to join their coaching staff.
After retirement[edit]
After leaving the Braves, he coached and managed in the minors for many years and coached for the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969.
The last page of The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book (by Brendan C. Boyd & Fred C. Harris, Little Brown & Co, 1973) had a card of Sisti in his Braves uniform catching a ball, with the authors' caption, "Goodnight, Sibby Sisti, wherever you are."
He answered that implied question by appearing in a small role in the 1984 film The Natural (which was filmed in Buffalo), portraying the Pittsburgh manager. He was also a consultant on the film, ensuring that it captured the feel of 1930s baseball.
He died at the age of 85 in Amherst, New York near Buffalo, and was interred in the Mount Calvary Cemetery in Cheektowaga, New York.
He was a first cousin of Dan Carnevale, a minor league manager who made the majors in 1970 with the Kansas City Royals as a first base coach (in Lou Piniella's rookie year there).
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
- Sibby Sisti Article
- His biography at the Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame
- BaseballLibrary.com
- Baseball-Almanac.com
- Sibby Sisti at Find a Grave
- TheDeadBallEra.com - obituary by Brad Bisbing
- Retrosheet.org