 = Dave Sisler = 
 
 David Michael Sisler ( October 16 , 1931 – January 9 , 2011 ) was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) from 1956 through 1962 . Early in his career , Sisler was a starter , then later was used as a middle reliever and occasionally as a closer . He reached the majors in 1956 with the Boston Red Sox after he completed a two @-@ year obligation in the active military . After three @-@ and @-@ a @-@ half seasons with the Red Sox , he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in 1959 and served the team through the 1960 season . Before the 1961 season , he was selected by the Washington Senators in the 1960 Major League Baseball expansion draft , for whom he played the 1961 season . He was then traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 1962 , playing one season at the major league level , and one in their minor league system . 
 His most productive years came with Boston , where he won 24 games from 1956 to 1958 , averaging 138 innings each season . After that , he appeared strictly as a reliever and saved a career @-@ high 11 games for the Senators . In a seven @-@ season career , Sisler posted a 38 – 44 record with a 4 @.@ 33 ERA in 247 appearances , including 29 saves , 12 complete games , one shutout and 656 ⅓ innings . Sisler retired from baseball after the 1963 season to become an investment firm executive , a career that lasted for over 30 years , retiring as a vice @-@ chairman for A. G. Edwards . 
 His father , Hall of Famer George Sisler ; and one of his brothers , Dick Sisler , also played baseball at the major league level ; while another brother , George Sisler , Jr . , was a general manager for several minor league baseball teams , and later became president of the International League from 1966 to 1976 . 
 
 = = Early life = = 
 
 Sisler was born on October 16 , 1931 , in St. Louis , Missouri , to George Sisler , a Baseball Hall of Fame player , and Kathleen . He played baseball in high school and when he was 16 he went to work for his father who was a coach in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization . Dave kept statistics and was occasionally allowed to pitch . The Dodgers did not envision a future with him and did not pursue a contract due to his commitment to Princeton and future military obligation . Sisler was signed by the Boston Red Sox of the American League ( AL ) after his time with Princeton , and began his professional baseball career at the age of 21 in 1953 for the Albany Senators in the class @-@ A Eastern League . He pitched in 21 games that season , 20 as their starting pitcher ; he had a 12 – 7 win – loss record , an ERA of 2 @.@ 60 in 135 innings pitched . He did not play professional baseball in either 1954 or 1955 due to his active military service . 
 
 = = Major League career = = 
 
 
 = = = Boston Red Sox = = = 
 
 After his military commitment , he re @-@ joined the organization , and began the season with the Red Sox . He made his major league debut on April 26 , 1956 , a one @-@ inning relief appearance against the New York Yankees . His first MLB victory came seven days later , a three @-@ inning relief appearance against the Yankees in Boston . On August 5 , in his sixth start , he pitched a seven @-@ inning complete game 2 @-@ 1 victory over the Cleveland Indians and their pitching star , future Hall of Famer Bob Lemon . In total , he appeared in 39 games his first season , 14 as their starting pitcher , had a 9 – 8 win – loss record with three saves , 98 strikeouts , and a 4 @.@ 66 ERA in 142 ⅓ inning pitched . He tied for the AL league with a 1 @.@ 000 fielding percentage by not committing a single error , although he had the sixth highest total of hit batsmen with seven . Following the season , Sisler was praised for his performance ; he was selected by Boston area sportswriters as the " Harry Agganis Award " winner , given annually to whom they voted as the top Boston Red Sox rookie , and was named to the 1956 " Rookie All @-@ Star Team " . 
 On January 17 , 1957 , Sisler was re @-@ signed by the Red Sox . The Red Sox expected Sisler to be a candidate for a pitching rotation slot . He impressed his coaching staff during early spring practices , manager Mike " Pinky " Higgins commented that Sisler " looks good ; he 's more mature and shows more confidence " . When the regular season began , he was initially effective , winning three games against one defeat in his first four starts , including two complete game victories against the Yankees . At this point , he was 4 – 0 against the Yankees , earning him the moniker " Yankee Killer " from sportswriter Chester L. Smith of the Pittsburgh Press . Although his ERA of 4 @.@ 88 was considered high , it was due in large part to his loss against the Kansas City Athletics who scored six earned runs in just two innings . On July 4 , he defeated the Yankees once again , making him 5 – 0 against them in his career , and 7 – 4 overall for the 1957 season , and had lowered his ERA to 4 @.@ 02 . That was his last victory of the season , however , which he followed with two consecutive losses , pitching a total of four innings ; he did not appear in another game until September 2 . He recorded a save against the Baltimore Orioles on September 7 , but closed the season with two consecutive losses against the Yankees , though he pitched well in the second game , giving up just three hits and two earned runs in eight innings . His season totals include a 7 – 8 record , and a 4 @.@ 72 ERA in 122 ⅓ inning pitched . 
 Sisler began the 1958 spring training in spectacular form , pitching a total of nine hitless innings and allowed just one baserunner in 28 batters faced ; the last 27 in order . However , he finished the spring with two consecutive losses , including one to the Pittsburgh Pirates , with whom his father was a special assistant to their manager . He opened the regular season with a complete game victory against the Yankees on April 16 . On May 2 , he pitched his only career complete game shutout , a 6 – 0 victory against the Detroit Tigers and future Hall of Famer Jim Bunning , improving his record to 3 – 1 for the season . Over the next two months , his average innings pitched declined during his starts , and on several occasions he entered the game in relief . He went winless from June 12 to August 9 , when he defeated the Yankees . He recorded just one more victory in 1958 , and completed the season with an 8 – 9 record , a 4 @.@ 94 ERA , and 71 strikeouts in a career @-@ high 149 ⅓ innings pitched . 
 On February 8 , 1959 , the Red Sox announced that they had Sisler signed for the 1959 season . After what was considered a " disappointing " season , he did not impress with his first outing in spring training , giving up two hits and five bases on balls in just two innings of work . Lack of pitching depth was a noted weakness for the Red Sox entering the season , with unpredictable youth and with hopes that Sisler could regain his previous level of success . Sisler opened the season slated as a relief pitcher with the idea that he would start in certain cases . In three relief appearances through April , he had a 6 @.@ 75 ERA in 6 ⅔ inning pitched . Management decided that his performance along with a pitching staff that they considered inexperienced , Sisler and Ted Lepcio were traded to the Detroit Tigers on May 2 for starting pitcher Billy Hoeft . 
 
 = = = Detroit Tigers = = = 
 
 Hoeft , who won 20 games for the Tigers in 1956 , had continually under @-@ performed since , and was noted for being in the manager 's " doghouse " ; however , TimesDaily sportswriter Hap Halbrooks commented , " I can 't see where they ( Tigers ) gained a thing in this transaction . " The Tigers had lost 15 of their first 17 games of the season before the trade and decided that changes were needed . In addition to the Sisler trade they fired manager Bill Norman and replaced him with Jimmy Dykes . These moves initially proved effective , sparking a winning game streak , which began by defeating the Yankees in both games of a doubleheader on May 3 . Continuing their rebound , the Tigers faced the Red Sox next , winning two of three , and Sisler pitched a scoreless one @-@ inning relief appearance against his former team on May 6 . Used exclusively in relief , Sisler pitched in 32 games for the Tigers , winning one game against three losses and collected seven saves , which was seventh most in the AL , and he did not record an error . 
 Sisler returned to the Tigers for the 1960 season , and manager Dykes noted that he was not confident that his bullpen could help when needed , pointing to the previous season as a reference . The Tigers bullpen had won just nine games in 1959 , but began 1960 with three straight victories , with Sisler pitching a scoreless two @-@ inning appearance on April 22 . His performance was considered a surprise , due to having a poor spring training . Although he pitched well in his first game of the season , he quickly lost his form , and by May 18 , his ERA had risen to 5 @.@ 06 and had a 1 – 2 record . It was at this point in the season that he began to turn his fortunes around and regained his effectiveness , and by August 12 he had lowered his ERA to 1 @.@ 90 . His season totals included a 2 @.@ 47 ERA and a 7 @-@ 5 win @-@ loss record , both career bests , and added six saves in 80 innings pitched . 
 
 = = = Washington Senators = = = 
 
 After the 1960 season , it was announced that the AL were going to create two new teams , one in Los Angeles and one in Washington , D. C. Although he was thought of as the Tigers ' best reliever during the season , Sisler was listed by the Tigers as eligible for the 1960 Major League Baseball expansion draft . The draft occurred on December 14 , 1960 and Sisler was selected by the Washington Senators with the fourth overall pick . The Senators received communication from several teams that were interested in Sisler , namely the Milwaukee Braves of the National League ( NL ) and the Athletics , but decided to trade their first pick in the expansion draft , Bobby Shantz , instead . New manager Mickey Vernon defined Sisler 's role with the team before the season began , designating him as their top relief pitcher . Sisler felt slighted by the Tigers , having been left unprotected by the team , and had considered retiring from baseball , but ultimately decided to sign with the Senators . 
 Sisler was solid for much of the first half of the season , not allowing an earned run until May 19 , and by June 5 he had an ERA of 0 @.@ 74 , a 1 – 0 record with seven saves . It was at the point that his effectiveness declined rapidly , allowing runs to score in four of his next five appearances . In a game against the Red Sox on June 18 , he relieved starter Carl Mathias , and immediately gave up bases on balls to the first two batters he faced , which forced in two runs , then gave up a grand slam to Jim Pagliaroni . He followed with another base on balls , and was relieved without having recording an out . Over the course of the next couple months , with his ERA steadily rising , his playing time was lessened , making just six appearances in the month of July , and five in August . He made his last major league start on August 31 against the Tigers , giving up seven hits and six earned runs for the loss . In 45 total appearances in 1961 , he had a 2 – 8 win @-@ loss record and finished sixth in AL with 11 saves . On September 16 , the Senators agreed to send $ 75 @,@ 000 ( $ 593 @,@ 900 current dollar adjustment ) and a player to be named later to the Cincinnati Reds of the NL for pitcher Claude Osteen . To complete the transaction , Washington sent Sisler to the Reds as that player named on November 28 . 
 
 = = = Cincinnati Reds = = = 
 
 The Reds were the NL champions in 1961 , and with the addition of Sisler , Dave Hillman , and Moe Drabowsky to ensure stability to their pitching staff in 1962 , the team 's management had high hopes of a return to the World Series . Sisler , who was expected to be used as a relief pitcher , joined a Reds team that already had his brother Dick , who was their first base coach . His father , still with Pittsburgh , mentioned that he was relieved that his son did not play in a recent series between the Pirates and Reds , recalling how the mixed emotions he felt when his elder son , Dick , helped defeat the Dodgers in an important game in 1950 by hitting a home run . The younger Sisler 's season did not begin well ; in his ten appearances by June 5 , he allowed a run in all but three , and had a 4 @.@ 97 ERA . On June 19 , Sisler pitched a scoreless inning in victory against the Pirates , the time first time George watched his son pitch as an opponent . Although Sisler 's season was a disappointment , he completed the season well , allowing just one earned run over the course of his final eight games , as well as earning the victory on September 23 , his final major league appearance . His totals for the season included a 4 – 3 record , a 3 @.@ 92 ERA , and one save in 43 ⅔ innings pitched . 
 For the coming 1963 season , manager Fred Hutchinson envisioned the same the role for Sisler , coming out of the bullpen with the idea that he would occasionally start . The Reds announced on February 9 that Sisler had signed for the 1963 season , although he did not make the Reds ' NL club and was optioned to their class @-@ AAA team , the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League ( PCL ) . In 35 games pitched for the Padres , he started six , had a 6 – 9 record and a 3 @.@ 40 ERA in 90 innings . On March 18 , 1964 , it was announced that Sisler retired from baseball to join an Investment company . 
 
 = = Later life = = 
 
 After his baseball career , Sisler became an executive with the investment firm A. G. Edwards for more than 30 years , reaching the level of vice @-@ chairman . A. G. Edwards was a sponsor of a semi @-@ professional baseball team located in St. Petersburg , Florida ; when the " Stockbrokers " were invited to play in season @-@ ending tournament to decide a champion , Sisler , a senior executive for the firm , denied the funding for the team , forcing them to decline if no other monies were raised . It was an unexpected decision considering that Sisler was former baseball player , but he did not feel that A. G. Edwards was benefitting , with the costs of running the team becoming more than originally agreed to by contract . 
 In 2004 , the possibility arose of his father 's record of 257 hits in a season being surpassed by Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners . Living in Dallas , Texas at the time , Sisler and his son Dave followed Ichiro 's progress throughout the season . Both had mixed feelings about the record chase ; they were happy that George Sisler 's name was being talked about and that people were re @-@ discovering him as a player , but both were hoping that , if the record was not broken in 154 games , there would be an asterisk noting that it took Ichiro more games to achieve it . Ichiro finished the season with 262 hits , and the Mariners extended an invitation for the entire Sisler family to attend the celebration at Safeco Field . The younger Sisler was prevented by an emergency heart procedure from travelling to Seattle . Both remarked that the Mariners were a classy organization for extending the invitation . 
 Sisler died on January 9 , 2011 of prostate cancer at the age of 79 in St. Louis , Missouri . He was survived by his wife Janet , son and three grandchildren . 
 
 