56: Roy Sievers-MLB

Roy Sievers was one of the most clutch hitters in baseball history. In fact, Sievers, who won the 1949 American League Rookie of the Year with the St. Louis Browns, hit nearly a quarter of his 318 career homeruns in the eighth inning or later. But, becoming a clutch hitter almost didn’t happen. After winning the ROY in 1949, Sievers fell into a slump and that was followed by a devastating right-shoulder injury that almost cost him his career. In fact, during the four-year stretch of 1950 through 1953, Sievers played in just 247 games and hit just 19 homeruns. But, Browns owner Bill Veeck worked hard with Sievers to help him overcome the injury, and Sievers did just that. After Veeck sold the Browns, the team moved to Baltimore and Sievers was traded to the Washington Senators. Great news for Washington, not so good for the new Baltimore Orioles. Sievers, not only recovered, he became one of the most feared sluggers in baseball. Over the course of the next 10-years, Sievers connected for 275 homeruns including an American League leading and career best 42 in 1957 to go along with 114 RBI. Sievers was named to five all-star teams and three times finished in the top-5 for MVP voting. Greg Wolf, the co-Director of the BioProject for SABR, and a frequent guest on Sports’ Forgotten Heroes, returns to the podcast for a wonderful discussion on Sievers, the Browns, Bill Veeck and more. Wolf, by the way, just finished working on a new book, “Wrigley Field, The Friendly Confines at Clark and Addison” and you can pick up a copy by visiting SABR.org or Amazon.

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