Sibby Sisti

Sebastian Daniel Sisti

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Canisius High School
• Debut July 21, 1939
• Final Game June 6, 1954
• Born July 26, 1920 in Buffalo, NY USA
• Died April 24, 2006 in Amherst, NY USA

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Biographical Information

Known for his versatility, Sibby Sisti played every position except pitcher and catcher during his big league career. He made his major league debut with the Boston Bees in 1939 and remained with the club (later known as the Braves) until World War II, when he served in the Coast Guard from 1943 to 1945, enlisting on December 11, 1942. 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. He hit .343 for the club and was named Minor League Player of the Year by The Sporting News. Back with the Braves in 1947, Sisti posted a career-best .281 batting average in part-time duty at shortstop.

In 1948, Sisti played a key role in the club's run to the World Series, filling in for injured second baseman Eddie Stanky whom the Braves had acquired from the Brooklyn Dodgers before the season. Connie Ryan, the Braves' second sacker from the season before, was tried first as Stanky's replacement but when he batted only .239 after three weeks on the job, Bobby Sturgeon was next to be given a shot. But, when Sturgeon hit only .181 in two weeks at second base, it fell to Sisti to man the keystone position for the final seven weeks of the season, batting .273 in that role as the Braves finished 29-17 to claim their first NL pennant since the 1914 Miracle Braves. With Stanky recovered from his injury and back in the starting lineup, Boston lost to the AL champion Cleveland Indians in the World Series. Sisti remained with the team when they became the Milwaukee Braves in 1953 and retired in 1954 to join their coaching staff.

Sisti played over 1,000 games in his 13 seasons, then the franchise record for players who played only for the Braves, but since surpassed by Chipper Jones. Sibby's 129 games before his 20th birthday is still a franchise record, just edging out Les Mann, who logged 121 games in 1913. Sisti similarly established modern era Braves franchise records for the youngest to hit a home run (at age 19 in 1939) and the youngest to hit a walk-off home run (in 1941, three months before his 21st birthday), but both marks have since been eclipsed, the former by Bill Southworth in 1964, and the latter by Eddie Mathews, and later by Andruw Jones.

After leaving the Braves, he coached and managed in the minors for many years and was a member of the big league staff of the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969. Years later, Sisti played a small role in the movie The Natural, portraying the Pittsburgh manager. He was also a consultant on the film, making sure it captured the feel of 1940s baseball.

He was a first cousin of Danny Carnevale. He was one the first four players inducted in the Boston Braves Hall of Fame, alongside Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn and All-Stars Johnny Sain and Tommy Holmes.

Notable Achievements

• 1946 Minor League Player of the Year, Indianapolis Indians, American Association

Related Sites

• Sibby Sisti at the SABR Bio Project