Luke Sewell

Position: Catcher
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
5-9, 160lb (175cm, 72kg)
Born: January 5, 1901 in Titus, AL us
Died: May 14, 1987  in Akron, OH
Buried: Rose Hill Burial Park, Fairlawn, OH
High School: Wetumpka HS (Wetumpka, AL)
School: University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)
Debut: June 30, 1921 (5,277th in major league history)
vs. DET 2 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: August 1, 1942
vs. NYY 3 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: James Luther Sewell
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject
Relatives: Brother of Joe Sewell, Tommy Sewell; Cousin of Rip Sewell

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1921

Goose Goslin
Kiki Cuyler
Bing Miller
Luke Sewell
Riggs Stephenson
Lu Blue
Earl Sheely
Ray Kolp
Lew Fonseca

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology for Luke Sewell Career

SearchSearch Events, Dates and More Date (Newest)Title (A - Z)

June 11, 1927

Babe Ruth clouts two consecutive home runs in his next time up Ruth Cleveland C Luke Sewell demands that the umpires inspect the Bambino’s bat

January 7, 1933

The Washington Senators get veteran catcher Luke Sewell from the Cleveland Indians.

April 29, 1933

In a strange play at home plate, catcher Luke Sewell of the Washington Senators tags out two Yankees runners on the same play. Lou Gehrig had held up, thinking a fly ballwould be caught. Dixie Walker closes up on him, and both are tagged out by Sewell while trying to score.

December 20, 1938

The White Sox sell veteran C Luke Sewell to Brooklyn.

July 17, 1942

The Browns, under Luke Sewell, achieve an 8-game win streak with doubleheader victories, 4 – 2 and 11 – 1, over the A’s.

October 2, 1942

Cards Claim Signals Read by Yankees

July 20, 1944

Nelson Potter of the St. Louis Browns becomes the first major league pitcher to be suspended for throwing a spitball

July 28, 1952

The seventh-place Reds fire manager Luke Sewell, who will be replaced by the recently released skipper of the Browns, Rogers Hornsby

Biography

After an apprenticeship under Cleveland great Steve O’Neill and two years platooning with Glenn Myatt, Sewell was the Indians’ catcher from 1926 through 1932. He caught for the Senators and White Sox before returning to the Indians as a player-coach in 1939. He set a since-broken AL record by leading league catchers in assists four years (1926-28 and 1936), and holds the AL record of 20 seasons as an active catcher.
Sewell became manager of the Browns on June 5, 1941, and in 1944 guided them to an 89-65 record and the only pennant in the club’s history. Though the Browns lost the World Series to the Cardinals in six games, Sewell was named TSN Major League Manager of the Year. Fired in 1946, he managed the Reds for three games in 1949 and from 1950 to 1952, never finishing higher than sixth. Luke ‘s brother, Hall of Famer Joe Sewell, played 14 years in the majors, while a third brother, Tommy, had one at bat with the Cubs in 1927@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiTGVhcm4gTW9yZSBhYm91dCB0aGUgdGVhbXMsIHBsYXllcnMsIGJhbGwgcGFya3MgYW5kIGV2ZW50cyB0aGF0IGhhcHBlbmVkIG9uIHRoaXMgZGF0ZSBpbiBoaXN0b3J5IC0gLSAtIC0gLSAtIC0gIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@

Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

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