Books and articles about Joe Sewell

When it came to making contact, no one matched Joe Sewell. Few rookies have faced a tougher assignment than Sewell did in 1920. While Sewell was playing his first professional season in New Orleans, Cleveland hero Ray Chapman was killed by a Carl Mays pitch in August. When Chapman's replacement, Harry Lunte, was hurt on Labor Day, the kid from Alabama was thrust into the American League pennant race with less than 100 professional games played. Little Joe (5'7") proved equal to the task, batting .329 in and helping Cleveland to its first pennant. From September 13, 1922 to April 30, 1930, he played 1,103 straight games, a major league record at the time. No one threatens to break his record of just 114 strikeouts in 7,132 games. Using a 40-ounce bat called "Black Betsy," Sewell had three full seasons (1925, 1929 and 1933), in which he struck out just four times.

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He was, however, far more than just a contact hitter. Sewell led the Indians in RBI three times and hit below .299 just once in Cleveland. He led AL shortstops in putouts four straight years (1924-27), in assists four times, and twice in fielding percentage. Moved to third base in 1929, Joe led the league in assists again. Released after the 1930 season, Sewell filled a trouble spot at third for the Yankees for three seasons before retiring and spent two more years with the Yankees as a coach. He later scouted for the Indians and coached at the University of Alabama, leading the school to a Southeastern Conference title in 1968. (ME)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » August 16, 1920: Cleveland SS Ray Chapman, 29, is beaned by a Carl Mays pitch. A righthanded batter who crowds the plate, Chapman freezes and fails to get out of the way of the submarine delivery. He is carried from the field and dies the next day from a fractured skull. Mays, a surly, unpopular pitcher, is the target of fans' and players' outrage. Chapman, a Cleveland favorite since breaking in in 1912, had been married the previous year. In October his wife will receive a full World Series share, $3,986.34. The incident has no effect on Mays's pitching. One week later he will blank Detroit 10-0, and go on to win 26 and lose 11. Joe Sewell will be called up to take Chapman's place, and for 14 years he will be the hardest man in baseball to strike out. » September 5, 1920: Before the start of the World Series, Brooklyn owner Charles Ebbets gives his approval for the addition of rookie Joe Sewell to the Indians' roster. Sewell joined the team after September 1st and was not eligible for the series. The tradition of low-scoring World Series games continues when the Indians manage to collect only five hits off Brooklyn's Rube Marquard (10-7) and two relievers. Stan Coveleski's (24-14) 5-hitter gives the Indians a 3–1 opening win. » September 16, 1920: Duster Mails delivers for the Indians, canceling the Senators 1–0 for his 4th win without a loss. Joe Sewell scores the lone run. » September 26, 1920: In St. Louis, an overflow Sunday crowd of 30,000 watch the Indians top the Browns 7–5 behind seven innings of strong relief by George Uhle. Joe Sewell knocks home four runs and Steve O'Neill contributes a drive that hits a mounted policeman's horse for a ground rule double. » September 15, 1921: Four A's pitchers help the Indians win 17–3, by contributing 16 walks. Among them is the starting pitcher Arlas Taylor, appearing in his only ML game. He fans one batter—Joe Sewell, the hardest batter to strike out in ML history. » May 13, 1923: Washington rookie Wally Warmoth strikes out Cleveland SS Joe Sewell twice. It is the first of only two times in his 14-year career that Sewell will fan twice in the same contest. » May 27, 1927: In St. Louis, the Indians beat the Browns, 7–3, scoring their only earned tun on John Hoddap's homer. For the 2nd game in a row, veteran 1B George Burns swipes home on the front end of a double steal with Joe Sewell, pulling it off in the 9th. The two did it yesterday in game two's 9–7 win. » October 6, 1929: While the 3rd-place Indians lose two to the 4th-place Browns, 4–2 and 4–1, Cleveland's Joe Sewell finishes a 152-game schedule with just four strikeouts. The Browns bid farewell to Dan Howley as Bill Killefer is signed to manage the Browns next year. The Reds will hire Howley as their manager on October 15. » May 1, 1930: At Fenway, a high fever strikes out Indians SS Joe Sewell, ending his consecutive game streak at 1,103. He has not missed a game since 1922. The Indians still prevail, 8–5. » May 26, 1930: The Indians take a pair from the White Sox winning 7–3 and 3–2 behind Wes Ferrell and Clint Brown. Ferrell's mound opponent Red Faber holds the Tribe hitless until two are out in the 5th, when eight straight hits drive him from the mound. In the nitecap, White Sox lefty Pat Caraway twice throws third-strike seeds past Joe Sewell, an occurrence that Joe later blames on the white shirts in the CF bleachers. It is the last time the Indians 3B will fan this season, and he will end the year by striking out only three times in 353 at bats. Once before, on May 13, 1923, Sewell was fanned twice in a game. » January 20, 1931: Joe Sewell, released by the Cleveland Indians after last season, signs with the New York Yankees. » June 23, 1932: Lou Gehrig plays his 1,103rd successive game in a New York uniform, equaling Joe Sewell's record with one team (Cleveland). » May 22, 1933: Joe Sewell of the Yankees fans for the first time this season, a 3–0 win behind Lefty Gomez over Cleveland. Sewell will strike out only three more times in 524 at bats. » September 19, 1933: The Yankees pile up 34 hits and drub the White Sox twice, 10–1 and 10–3. George Uhle and Charley Devans are the recipients of the offensive largesse. Joe Sewell has six hits for the afternoon, while Lou Gehrig has six RBIs. Gehrig hits #30 in game one, following immediately after Walker hits a homer. Lou is now even with Babe Ruth, who sat out the afternoon. » October 3, 1948: Joe Sewell so dominated the low-strikeout records that part of the heroics of Lou Boudreau in this season is often missed. Boudreau finishes the year with only 9 strikeouts, the best record by a RH batter in the AL since Stuffy McInnis fanned just 5 times in 142 games in 1922. » December 6, 1954: The Orioles conclude their 2nd large trade in three weeks sending C Clint Courtney, SS Jim Brideweser, and P Bob Chakales to the White Sox for C Matt Batts, infielder Fred Marsh, and pitchers Don Johnson and Don Ferrarese. Courtney batted .270 in 397 at bats, and struck out an American League-low seven times, the league's lowest since Joe Sewell hung up his spikes in 1933. » January 31, 1977: The Special Veterans Committee selects Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie, and Al Lopez for the Hall of Fame.