Ed Sanicki

From BR Bullpen

Edward Robert Sanicki (Butch)

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 5' 9½", Weight 175 lb.
School Seton Hall University
High School Clifton High School
Debut September 14, 1949
Final Game May 12, 1951
Born July 7, 1923 in Wallington, NJ USA
Died July 6, 1998 in Old Bridge, NJ USA

1 Biographical Information
2 Records Held
3 Notable Achievements
4 Awards and honors
5 Quotes
6 Sources
7 Related Sites

[edit] Biographical Information

Ed Sanicki was an outfielder seven years (1946-1952), all in the minors except for two rich cups of coffee. He holds the major league record for the highest slugging percentage for any player with 20 plate appearances.

Sanicki was born on Saturday, July 7, 1923, in Wallington, NJ. He graduated from Clifton High School in Clifton, NJ, where he starred in baseball, basketball and football, in 1941 at age 18. He then attended Seton Hall University with his tuition paid by the Brooklyn Dodgers (1941-1943).

He joined the Navy in 1943 and served on a Liberty ship as a signalman for four years (BN). While in the Navy, he was state Golden Gloves light heavyweight boxing champion. After getting out he married Ann Krehel and went back to Seton Hall.

Scouted by Ben Marmo and signed by scout Chuck Ward of the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1946, he broke into Organized Baseball at age 22 with the Class A Utica NY team of the Eastern League. He played with Utica (1946); Wilmington of the Class B Inter-State League (1946-1947); and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Class AAA International League.(1948-1949).

Sanicki was 26 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 14, 1949, with the Philadelphia Phillies. He hit a home run in his first at bat for the Phillies off of Rip Sewell. He added two more home runs on his next two hits. He reported for Spring Training in 1950 but a knee injury kept him out of the 1950 season -- the year in which the Phillies won the National League Pennant. He instead spent 1950 with Toronto. Back up with the Phils, he played his final MLB game on May 12, 1951 at age 27.

He returned to the minors with Schenectady in the Class A Eastern League in 1951 and was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds from the Phillies in the 1951 minor league draft. He played with the Tulsa Oilers and the Houston Buffaloes in the Class AA Texas League (1952), ending his baseball career at age 29.

Sanicki has the highest career slugging percentage (.882), of any player with at least 20 plate appearances. In 1947, his best year in the minors, he had 37 home runs and 109 RBI at .320. Overall in MLB, he had 5 hits, 5 runs, 1 double, 0 triples, 3 home runs, 8 RBI 5 runs created and 1 stolen base at (.294/.368/.882) in only 20 plate appearances in 20 games. Overall in the minors, he had 161 home runs and 622 RBI.

After retiring from baseball, he went back once again to Seton Hall and earned a bachelor's degree in education. He worked for 30 years as a special education teacher. In the summers, he was the waterfront director of the Sayreville Association for Brain-Injured children.

He was a member of the Retired Professional Baseball Players Association and the Middlesex County Baseball Umpires Association. He was a member of the National Education Association and the Passaic County Education Association. He was a communicant of St. Ambrose Roman Catholic Church of Old Bridge, NJ. He was born in Wallington and was raised in Clifton. He had lived in Passaic, NJ before moving to Old Bridge in 1963.

Sanicki was an avid gardener and enjoyed frequent trips to Atlantic City, NJ. He died at Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge Division, in Old Bridge, NJ a day before his 75th birthday on July 6, 1998 and is buried at Holy Cross Burial Park in East Brunswick, NJ.

A brother, Joseph, died in 1992. Surviving him were his wife of 53 years, the former Ann Krehel; two sons: Edward G. of Monroe, NJ and Robert G. of the Perrineville, NJ section of Millstone Townhship; two daughters: Patricia Nemeth of Monroe and Sandra Sanicki of Perrinville; a brother, Emil of Clifton; a sister Helen Simek of Clifton; six grandchildren, and a great-grandson. He was to have thrown the first pitch at the July 4, 1998 game for the Wilmington Blue Rocks in Delaware, where he had played in minor league ball.

[edit] Records Held

Highest career slugging average (.882) for all players over 20 plate appearances. The top ten include Babe Ruth (#5), Ted Williams (#7), Lou Gehrig (#8), Albert Pujols (#9) and Todd Helton (#10)
Highest career ISO (isolated power) (.588) for all players over 20 plate appearances. The top ten include Babe Ruth (#3), Mark McGwire (#6) and Barry Bonds (#10).
Second highest career OPS (1.251) behind Joe Peitz (1.262) for all players over 20 plate appearances. The top ten include Babe Ruth (#4), Ted Williams (#7), Lou Gehrig (#8) and Barry Bonds (#10).

[edit] Notable Achievements

Hit a home run in his first at bat for the Phillies off of Rip Sewell on September 14, 1949.
He added two more home runs on his next two hits.
Sanicki (1949), Clem Labine (1955) and Keith McDonald (2000), all had 3 hits during the season of which all 3 were home runs - the only men to do so.

[edit] Awards and honors

Named Clifton "Educator of the Year" in 1974
In a 1955 ceremony, Clifton dedicated the baseball field at Albion Memorial Park in his name. Letters of congratulation were presented to Sanicki from President Clinton, the Phillies, Gov. Chrstie Whitman and the children and parents of the children he had taught.

[edit] Quotes

"For the next 30 years [after baseball], he [Ed Sanicki] was a special education teacher in Clifton (New Jersey), where he had been an outstanding high school athlete, playing football, basketball and baseball. He was named "Educator of the Year" in 1974." - Home News Tribune (July 5th, 1998)