Joe Sewell Stats & Facts
Joe Sewell
Positions: Shortstop and Third Baseman
Bats: Left • Throws: Right
5-6, 155lb (168cm, 70kg)
Born: October 9, 1898 in Titus, AL
Died: March 6, 1990 (Aged 91-148d) in Mobile, AL
Buried: Tuscaloosa Memorial Park, Tuscaloosa, AL
High School: Wetumpka HS (Wetumpka, AL)
School: University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)
Debut: September 10, 1920 (Age 21-337d, 5,094th in major league history)
vs. NYY 2 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: September 24, 1933 (Age 34-350d)
vs. BOS 1 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1977. (Voted by Veteran’s Committee)
View Joe Sewell’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).
Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1921 season
Full Name: Joseph Wheeler Sewell
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject
Relatives: Brother of Luke Sewell, Tommy Sewell; Cousin of Rip Sewell
Notable Events and Chronology for Joe Sewell Career
“There’s no excuse for a major league player striking out 100 times a season—unless he’s blind,” declared Joe Sewell, who fanned only 114 times in 8,333 plate appearances over his 14-year career. Sewell, a slick-fielding, left-handed hitting shortstop, easily ranks as the toughest strikeout in modern MLB history: he fanned once every 62.5 at-bats (0.14% of the time); his nearest competitor, Lloyd Waner, went down on strikes once every 44.9 at-bats. Sewell struck out twice in a game on only two occasions, and over his final nine seasons (1925-33), he averaged five Ks per year. (In 1925, he hit .336 while fanning only four times in 699 plate appearances.) Sewell, whose vision was said to rival that of Ted Williams, later explained: “I can’t ever remember when I couldn’t throw up a Coca-Cola cap or a rock and hit it with a broomstick handle or a hickory stick.”
The diminutive batsman (5-foot-6, 155 lbs.)—owner of 2,226 hits and a .312 AVG—wasn’t just some “Punch and Judy” hitter; he was a run-producing, extra-base machine, averaging 35+ doubles, 83 RBI, and 66 walks per full season over his career. Sewell faced 226 different pitchers between 1925 and 1933, only three of which fanned him more than twice: George Blaeholder, Ed Wells, and Wes Ferrell struck out Sewell three times apiece. Sewell dominated against Hall of Famers, compiling a career .325 AVG with only three Ks in 680 plate appearances versus Cooperstown-bound hurlers. He slashed .371/.425/.542 in 41 PAs against Walter Johnson; hit .358 in 75 PAs against Herb Pennock; and .338 over 155 PAs versus Ted Lyons. Lefty Grove called Sewell the toughest hitter he’d ever faced, as evidenced by his stats versus the “King of Contact”: one K, two HRs, and a .297 AVG over 129 PAs.
Sewell often cited Ty Cobb as the man he most tried to emulate at the plate. “He was just my idol,” declared Sewell, who early in his career used Ty Cobb model bats. “Cobb was the greatest baseball player I’ve seen in the major leagues.” Decades later, Sewell opined: “I’ve played with Babe Ruth and roomed with Lou Gehrig, seen Tris Speaker, George Sisler, . . . DiMaggio, Willie Mays, but Cobb could do more things to beat ya.” However, even the great “Georgia Peach” couldn’t compete with Sewell when it came to making contact: Cobb reached double-digits in Ks 23 times (all but one season); over one of his best three-year spans (1910-12), during which time he posted a composite .403 AVG, Tyrus fanned 118 times, four more than Sewell’s career total of 114.
Biography
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Other Resources & Links
Factoids
Best Season: 1925
Joe was third in AL MVP voting, hitting .336 with 204 hits. With 98, he led the Indians in RBI, something he did three times from his #2 spot in the batting order while with Cleveland.
Despite using a heavy 40-ounce bat that he called “Black Betsy,” Joe Sewell struck out as few as four times in three different seasons.
Most Career Hits, Brothers
1. Paul and Lloyd Waner… 5,611
2. Felipe, Matty and Jesus Alou… 5,094
3. Joe, Dom and Vince DiMaggio… 4,853
4. Ed, Jim, Frank, Joe and Tom Delahanty… 4,211
5. Hank and Tommy Aaron… 3,987
6. Cal Jr. and Billy Ripken… 3,858
7. Roberto and Sandy Jr. Alomar… 3,627
8. Joe and Luke Sewell… 3,619
9. Ken, Clete and Cloyd Boyer… 3,559
10. Honus and Butts Wagner… 3,489
Scouting Report
Sewell was the most difficult batter to strike out in baseball history. He never fanned more than 20 times in a season. In 1925 he struck out four times in 155 games; in 1926 it was six K’s. In total he fanned 114 times in 7,132 official at-bats. His ratio of one K every 62 times up is the best ever.
Where He Played
He was probably the best shortstop in the American League in the 1920s. In 11 seasons with the Indians, Sewell teamed with six different second baseman. His longest running partner was “Wamby” Bill Wamsganss. Others included Chick Fewster, Freddy Spurgeon, Lew Fonseca and Carl “Hooks” Lind. With the Yankees he played third base, since the Bombers had Lyn Lary and later Frank Crosetti at short.
Feats
From September 13, 1922 to April 30, 1930, Sewell played 1,103 consecutive games, a major league record at the time, which was later eclipsed by Lou Gehrig.
Notes
Sewell finished in the top ten in AL MVP voting four times, and was third in 1925 (.336 with 204 hits and 98 RBI).
Transactions
After seven straight .300 seasons with the Tribe from 1923-1929, Sewell slumped to .289 in 109 games in 1930. For that indiscretion, he was released at the age of 32. He was quickly snatched up by the Yankees who plugged him in at third base for three seasons. In Yankee Stadium his power numbers went up, and he played on the 1932 World Series champions, hitting .333 in the Fall Classic win over the Cubs.