Rip Sewell from the Chronology

Sep 28, 1949 - Called up from Toronto in mid-September‚ Eddie Sanicki of the Phils gets his 3rd hit of the season. All 3 are homers as he goes 3-for-13 with a .924 SA. On September 14 Sanicki homered on his first big-league at bat with 2 men‚ against Rip Sewell of the Pirates.

Apr 19, 1949 - Governor Adlai Stevenson and mayor Martin Kennelly are at the opener in Chicago to see 41-year old Rip Sewell bests the Cubs again‚ 1-0‚ in a pitching duel with 39-year-old Dutch Leonard. Leonard allows 5 singles but Smalley's fumble in the 9th on an easy grounder lets in the winning run. Sewell‚ who beat the Cubs 7 times last season‚ has now shut out the Bruins 3 times on Opening Day. It's the first of 6 shutouts the Cubs will lose this year with Leonard starting.

Sep 12, 1948 - The second-place Pirates creep to within 3 games of the Braves by jolting the Cubs‚ 7-3. 40-year-old Rip Sewell (11-3)continues his mastery of the Bruins beating them for the 7th time this year and the 33rd of his career. Cubs pitchers help by handing out 14 walks.

Apr 15, 1947 - In his NL debut‚ Hank Greenberg doubles home the only run in the 6th as the Pirates Rip Sewell wins the opener in Chicago 1-0. Hank Borowy takes the loss. Greenberg also handles 16 putouts and an assist at 1B.

Jul 9, 1946 - With 7 Red Sox teammates on the AL squad‚ Ted Williams stages a power show with 2 HRs‚ 2 singles‚ a walk‚ 4 runs scored‚ and a record 5 RBI to lead the AL to a 12-0 laugher over the NL at Fenway Park. The highlight of the All-Star Game is Williams' 3-run HR off a Rip Sewell blooper pitch in the 8th. The Red Sox came into today's contest with a 7 1/2 game lead in the AL.

Apr 20, 1946 - The Reds Bucky Walters‚ in a tight pitching duel with the Pirates Rip Sewell‚ steals home in the 6th‚ but Sewell wins the squeaker 2-1 before 28‚000 in Pittsburgh.

Sep 29, 1945 - The Cubs clinch the NL flag on Hank Borowy's 4-3 win over Pittsburgh in the first game of a doubleheader. The final margin for Chicago is 3 games over the Cardinals. During the season‚ the Cubs win 20 doubleheaders a ML record. Chicago takes the nitecap 5-0‚ scoring all 5 runs in the 4th inning. The big blow is catcher Paul Gillespie's 2-run homer off Rip Sewell‚ the hit coming in his final major league at bat (Gillespie will go 0-for-6 in the WS). The game is called after 7 innings.

Jul 19, 1945 - The Pirates win 4-0 over the Giants‚ as Bill Salkeld climaxes the scoring with a three-run homer in the 8th. Rip Sewell wins his 11th of the year‚ while Harry Feldman is the loser. Salkeld hits his homer off Ace Adams‚ who relieves Feldman in the 8th.

Jul 15, 1945 - The Pirates skewer the visiting Dodgers‚ beating them 9-1 and 15-3. Rip Sewell and Ken Gables are the winning pitchers over Vic Lombardi and Hal Gregg. In game 2 Bob Elliot hits for the cycle and Pete Coscarart scores 5 runs.

Apr 27, 1945 - The first-place Cubs win their 5th straight‚ as Paul Derringer shoots down the Pirates‚ 7-3. Rip Sewell allows 4 hits in 4 innings‚ but 4 errors hand him the loss.

Nov 23, 1944 - Five groups totaling 23 players‚ managers‚ umpires‚ and writers visit war theaters as part of the USO program. Included are Mel Ott‚ Dutch Leonard‚ Frankie Frisch‚ Bucky Walters‚ Harry Heilmann‚ Carl Hubbell‚ Freddie Fitzsimmons‚ Bill Summers‚ Beans Reardon‚ Johnny Lindell‚ Tuck Stainback‚ Steve O'Neill‚ Leo Durocher‚ Joe Medwick‚ Nick Etten‚ Dixie Walker‚ Paul Waner‚ and Rip Sewell.

Sep 19, 1943 - The Pittsburgh Pirates Rip Sewell avenges a 1–0 loss to Cincinnati righthander Elmer Riddle from the week before by beating the Reds, 10–3. The Bucs knock out Riddle in 2 innings. It is Rip’s 21st win of the year, high in the NL. He also has a steal to finish the year with 7 stolen bases, just 6 off the NL high for the year. The Pirates take game 2 of the twinbill, 2–1, beating Johnny Vander Meer, who gives up 4 hits in 8 innings and 4 more in the 9th.

Aug 6, 1943 - Pittsburgh's Rip Sewell‚ now throwing his blooper pitch some 25 feet high‚ loses to the Cardinals‚ 8-3‚ after 11 straight wins. He has won 18 already but will get only 3 more victories the rest of the season. Max Lanier is the winning pitcher.

Jun 1, 1943 - Rip Sewell of the Pirates throws his dew-drop ball in a 5-4 win against the Braves. Sewell loops the ball 18 to 20 feet high on its way to the strike zone. Later it is called a blooper or eephus ball. The pitch is more than a gag‚ and Sewell is on his way to a 20-win season. Huck Geary wins it for the Bucs with a 14th-inning steal of home.

Apr 21, 1943 - At the home opener at Wrigley‚ 9‚044 fans watch as the Pirates Rip Sewell allows just three hits to beat the Cubs‚ 6-0. Paul Derringer is outgunned in the loss. It is the 2nd Opener in a row that Sewell has beaten the Cubs‚ and he will rip off another five wins over them this year. There are just 4 games today‚ but all of them end in shutouts‚ a record.

Jul 9, 1942 - The Bucs Rip Sewell battles the Phils Rube Melton for 6 innings‚ before the latter gives up a run in the 7th and retires for a PH in the 8th. The Pirates drop 8 runs on the relievers to win‚ 9-0. In a pregame race‚ Phils OF Stan Benjamin wins the 100 yard dash beating Ernie Koy‚ Danny Murtaugh‚ Johnny Barrett and Stu Martin in 10.2 seconds.

Jun 19, 1942 - At Forbes Field‚ Paul Waner‚ now with the Boston Braves‚ joins Cap Anson and Honus Wagner as the only NL players with 3‚000 hits‚ with a single off Rip Sewell. Two days earlier‚ Waner's grounder bounced off an infielder's glove and had been ruled a hit. Waner‚ who did not want his 3000th hit to be a tainted one‚ signaled to the scorekeeper that it was an error‚ and the ruling was changed. Bob Elliott hits 2 HRs to help the Pirates win 7-6 in 11 innings.

Apr 22, 1942 - At Pittsburgh‚ Rip Sewell holds the Cubs to 6 hits‚ including an inside-the-park homer by Lou Stringer‚ to give the Pirates a 5-2 win. The homer is the only one the Cubs will hit at Forbes Field this year‚ and on the 27th‚ Stringer will hit the Cubs lone 1942 HR at Cincinnati. Hi Bithorn takes the loss.

Apr 21, 1942 - Only 4 games are played in the ML‚ and three end in shutouts: Pirate Rip Sewell trips the Cubs 5-2; Reds P Johnny Vander Meer beat the Cards 1-0 in 11 innings; Cleveland's Jim Bagby nips the Tigers 1-0‚ and the Browns Al Hollingsworth beats the White Sox 3-0.

Jun 6, 1941 - The Giants use plastic batting helmets for the first time against the Pirates but lose a doubleheader to the Bucs 5-4 and 4-3. In game 2‚ Pittsburgh P Rip Sewell sets an NL record by handling 11 assists.

Sep 10, 1940 - In a twinbill loss to the Pirates‚ the Phils lose catcher Ben Warren when he suffers a brain concussion after being hit by a pitch from Luke Sewell in game 2. The Pirates sweep‚ winning 11-3 and 11-1 with the wins going to Joe Bowman and Rip Sewell.

Jun 1, 1939 - The Phillies plays their first-ever night game at Shibe Park‚ losing to the Pirates‚ 5-2. The Phils Gib Brack and the Bucs Bill Brubaker hit homers. Rip Sewell picks up the victory over newly acquired Kirby Higbe.