George Sisler donned the Maize ‘n Blue from 1911 to 1915. Branch Rickey, then head baseball
coach, remembers Sisler’s tryout, “The workout was unforgettable. He pitched batting practice and, for the next 20 minutes, created no end of varsity embarrassment. His speed and control made him unhittable. All his moves were guided by perfection of reflexes, which made him quick, graceful, accurate—the foundation of athletic greatness. It was all there.” While at Michigan, Sisler would bat .404 and once struck out 20 batters in a seven inning game.
George started out on the St. Louis Browns as a pitcher in the major leagues, but soon took up playing first base to keep his bat in the line-up everyday. During his time on the mound, he twice defeated Walter Johnson in complete game duels. In 1920, Sisler had the memorable season he is known for today. He batted .407, stole 42 bags; broke Ty Cobb’s record for hits in a season with 257. This record would stand for 84 years until Ichiro Suzuki broke it with 262 hits in 2004.
In 1922, Sisler would safely get a hit in a then record 41 consecutive games, bat .420 and win the American League MVP award. This record would stand until Joe DiMaggio had a hit streak of 56 games in 1941. The .420 batting average stands as the third highest total in the entire 20th century.
In 1923, tragedy struck Sisler as he developed a severe case of sinusitis that caused him to see double. On the ‘23 season Sisler said, “All season long I suffered, I felt sorry for the fans, for my teammates, for everyone, except for myself. I planned to get back into 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 desperate, when you’re fighting for something that actually keeps you alive—well the human will is all you need.” Never again would he put up the great number’s many had known him for. Yankee’s P Bob Shawkey sums it up best, “When he was up at the plate, he could watch you for only so long, and then he’d have to look down to get his eyes focused again. So we’d keep him waiting up there until he’d have to look down, and then pitch. He was never the same hitter after that.” In the following video Sisler can be seen at the :50 mark.
In 1999, Sporting News’ named George Sisler the 33rd best player on their list of 100 Greatest Baseball Players. In 1939 Sisler was named to the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame with the second highest career batting average of a 1B ever. In 2011, he will also join the College Baseball Hall of Fame
