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Richard Allan Sisler
Cincinnati Reds
Manager
Born: November 2, 1920, St. Louis, MO
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent, February 17, 1939
Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1946-1947; Philadelphia Phillies 1948-1951; Cincinnati Reds 1952; St. Louis Cardinals 1952-1953
As a Manager: Cincinnati Reds 1964-1965
Died: November 20, 1998, Nashville, TN (age 78)
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| 1951 Bowman #52 |
Sisler was an All-Star with the Phillies in 1950, the season he reached career highs for average (.296), home runs (13) and RBIs (83). The Phillies didn't prevail against the Yankees in 1950, but he still won two World Series rings with the Cardinals in 1946 as a bench player and again with the Cardinals in 1967 as the team's first base coach. For his eight-year career he hit .276 with 55 home runs and 360 RBIs.
Following his playing career, he first served as a coach with the Reds in 1961 for manager Fred Hutchinson. He was promoted to manager of the Reds when Hutchison was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Fired at the end of the 1965 season, Sisler went on to coach for the Cardinals (1966-1970), Padres (1975-1976) and Mets (1979-1980). He worked throughout the 1980s as a roving hitting instructor in the Cardinals minor league system and was a frequent autograph guest at baseball card shows during the hobby's emergence that decade.
I mentioned at the top Sisler was one of my Dad's favorite players, and it's by pure luck and with no planning this post will appear on what would have been his 76th birthday. On Christmas day 2007, my Dad gave me Sisler's 1951 Bowman card and I've used that card as the centerpiece of the banner on my flagship blog, The Phillies Room. Along with that card my Dad included a note within the package noting that it was the first baseball card he ever saw.Building the Set
December 7, 2019 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #18
We were up to 11 cards for our 1965 Topps set, and I honestly had it in mind that I wanted to purchase one fairly major "star" card during our remaining time at the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show inside the Valley Forge Casino. The showroom floor was packed as we were now into the early afternoon and autograph guests were showing up every 15 minutes or so. The public address announcer would call out ticket numbers in groups of 10 all while imploring collectors to back away from the entrance that led into the autograph signing area.
That was the backdrop when we came upon the table for MJW Collectibles out of Somerdale, NJ. This dealer had a bunch of 1960s Topps binders spread out, and the sign on the 1965 Topps binder caught my eye - ALL CARDS $1. And with Doug's help, I dug in.
The Card
This is Sisler's final Topps card, and his last mainstream baseball card appearance until the mid-1970s. Looking closely at the photo, I first thought there was a blemish just under the brim of Sisler's hat and on his forehead. But the mark appears on every instance of the card, so perhaps it's a bandage? This is our first manager card from the set, and I like the idea of the backs of the manager cards containing a bio.
Sisler's bio mentions his family lineage. I'd argue that Sisler's "biggest thrill" wasn't his pinch-hit single in the 1950 All-Star Game, but rather the home run hit off Don Newcombe on October 1, 1950 to win the pennant for the Phillies. Coincidentally, he was pinch-hitting for Newcombe in the 1950 All-Star Game, and he collected his single off Bob Lemon in the fifth inning.
1965 Season
Sisler managed the Reds to a 89-73 record, good enough for fourth place in the National League. The team had been in first place as late as July 19th, but a late season swoon and surges from the Dodgers, Giants and Pirates dropped them to fourth. The team was just three games out of first place heading into the final week of the season but lost seven of their final eight games. The late season collapse cost Sisler his job and he was fired at the end of the season.
On April 7, 1948, the Phillies acquired Sisler from the Cardinals for Ralph LaPointe and $30,000. Originally disappointed to be leaving his hometown Cardinals, Sisler later realized it was the best break of his career. He was the team's regular first baseman in 1948 but lost time to Eddie Waitkus at the start of 1949, as Waitkus was a better defender and was having a better year at the plate. Relegated to pinch-hitting duties, Sisler was forced back into a starting role after Waitkus was shot by a deranged woman in Chicago on June 14, 1949.
At the start of the 1950 season, and with Waitkus recovering and reclaiming first base, Sisler challenged manager Eddie Sawyer to move him back to the outfield. His hard work paid off and Sisler had the best season of his career. He along with the other Whiz Kids won the National League pennant but they couldn't handle the powerhouse Yankees in the World Series, getting swept in four games. Sisler went 1 for 17 (.059) in the Series.
After a decent 1951 season, Sisler was traded on December 10th to the Reds with Niles Jordan, Eddie Pellagrini and Andy Seminick for Smoky Burgess (#198), Howie Fox and Connie Ryan. In 508 games for the Phillies, Sisler hit .287 with 39 home runs and 241 RBIs.
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First Mainstream Card: 1949 Bowman #205
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4): 1951-1952, 1964-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1987 TCMA 1950 Phillies #8
62 - Sisler non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/24/19.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year. Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.
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