Joe Sewell

With us today is a former American League shortstop who holds the Major League record for fewest strikeouts in a season as he fanned only four times each in 1925 and 1929.

Congratulations to Joe Sewell.

Thank you.

This old-timer was involved in a couple of out-of-the-ordinary World Series events.

They get and talk to each other.

And they're sharp as tacks.

Particularly, I talked to Joe Sewell, who still holds the record of striking out only four times in an entire season.

And Joe has been asked that question many, many times.

And I became good friends with a number of guys, you know, Whitey Ford.

I represented Whitey for years and Warren Spahn and Joe Sewell and Chuck Connors.

And just became close with a number of guys through various means.

And, you know, I think that certainly my background played a big part in that because it drew a distinction between me and, the universe of other people that these guys would normally come in contact with.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And Cobb would send him an autograph.

When I was a kid, if you sent and carried the Hall of Fame, Joe Sewell and carried the Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, New York, One, three, three, two, six.

Like that was the address.

I remember being in Yankee Stadium in the 1976 World Series with my dad.

He's introduced me to somebody, and Joe Sewell, who played baseball in the 1930s, walks up to us and starts talking, and my dad introduced me to him and said, Son, I bet you can tell Mr. Sewell is lifetime batting average.

And I said, You're right.

I was 11 years old, huh? This guy was 80 at the time.

The Indians had a real piece of luck here.

Hall of Famer Joe Sewell began his major league career then, taking over shortstop and hitting .329 the rest of the season.

Speaker had been hitting as high as .420 in early August, but he slumped badly after the Chapman game.

He pulled it together in September, though, and he finished at .388.

shortstop.

So Joe Sewell, we appreciate that call, was admitted into the Hall of Fame.

Here's a pitch inside a ball, 3-2, along with irrepressible Ernie Banks and one of the finest managers in the history of the game, Al Lopez.

I heard Al on the radio today saying that everybody he played for, every manager, was in the Hall of Fame.

Sure stuff.

Well, then we talked about Joe Sewell and South, and they finally got Joe, but Joe wasn't near the ball players.

Joe had a lot of errors, but they didn't mark him up to them.

Oh? How do you mean?

With us today is a former American League shortstop who holds the Major League record for fewest strikeouts in a season as he fanned only four times each in 1925 and 1929.

Congratulations to Joe Sewell.

Thank you.

This old-timer was involved in a couple of out-of-the-ordinary World Series events.

They get and talk to each other.

And they're sharp as tacks.

Particularly, I talked to Joe Sewell, who still holds the record of striking out only four times in an entire season.

And Joe has been asked that question many, many times.

was finished at short when Ray Chapman was unfortunately hit from the head by a pitched ball.

By Carl Mays and passed on, Joe Sewell came from the campus of the University of Alabama to take over at shortstop and finish the season for the Indians.

At third base was Larry Gardner.

And then in the outfield, you had Charlie Jamison in left and Tris Beaker, the Gray Eagle, old spoke in center field.

Elmer Smith was in right field, and he, too, had the unique distinction of of hitting the first home run ever hit in a World Series with a basis motor.

In right field was Elmer Smith.

You also had Joe Wood in right field.

That was the same smoky Joe Wood who was a great pitcher, but who, after his arm went bad, became an outfielder and finished up his major league career in that position.