Rip Sewell was born on Saturday, May 11, 1907, in Decatur, Alabama. Sewell was 25 years old when he broke into the big leagues on June 14, 1932, with the Detroit Tigers. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Rip Sewell baseball stats page.
"(Dick) Wakefield started to swing, then he stopped, and then he swung again and almost fell down when he missed. After the game, when everybody stopped laughing (Frankie) Frisch wanted to know what I called the pitch and Maurice Van Robays, an outfielder, said 'that's an eephus ball.' 'What's an eephus?' I asked him. 'Eephus ain't nuthin.' So it was always eephus after that." - Rip Sewell in The Boston Globe (July 12, 1981, The Eephus?, Sports Section: Page 3)
Rip SewellRip Sewell Autograph on a 1989 Pacific Trading Baseball Card (#202) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rip SewellRip Sewell Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
1932 | 25 | Tigers | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 12.66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.2 | 59 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
1938 | 31 | Pirates | 17 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 4.23 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 38.1 | 176 | 41 | 18 | 27 | 3 | 21 | 2 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - |
1939 | 32 | Pirates | 52 | 12 | 20 | 10 | 9 | .526 | 4.08 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 176.1 | 763 | 177 | 80 | 93 | 10 | 73 | 5 | 69 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - |
1940 | 33 | Pirates | 33 | 23 | 3 | 16 | 5 | .762 | 2.80 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 189.2 | 790 | 169 | 59 | 71 | 6 | 67 | 6 | 60 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - |
1941 | 34 | Pirates | 39 | 32 | 7 | 14 | 17 | .452 | 3.72 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 249.0 | 1,055 | 225 | 103 | 126 | 18 | 84 | 7 | 76 | 8 | 3 | 0 | - |
1942 | 35 | Pirates | 40 | 33 | 7 | 17 | 15 | .531 | 3.41 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 248.0 | 1,067 | 259 | 94 | 117 | 13 | 72 | 4 | 69 | 4 | 2 | 0 | - |
1943 | 36 | Pirates | 35 | 31 | 4 | 21 | 9 | .700 | 2.54 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 265.1 | 1,113 | 267 | 75 | 94 | 6 | 75 | 12 | 65 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - |
1944 | 37 | Pirates | 38 | 33 | 4 | 21 | 12 | .636 | 3.18 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 286.0 | 1,218 | 263 | 101 | 112 | 15 | 99 | 8 | 87 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - |
1945 | 38 | Pirates | 33 | 24 | 7 | 11 | 9 | .550 | 4.07 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 188.0 | 863 | 212 | 85 | 116 | 9 | 91 | 15 | 60 | 5 | 2 | 0 | - |
1946 | 39 | Pirates | 25 | 20 | 2 | 8 | 12 | .400 | 3.68 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 149.1 | 641 | 140 | 61 | 68 | 6 | 53 | 7 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - |
1947 | 40 | Pirates | 24 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 4 | .600 | 3.57 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 121.0 | 504 | 121 | 48 | 58 | 11 | 36 | 8 | 36 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - |
1948 | 41 | Pirates | 21 | 17 | 3 | 13 | 3 | .813 | 3.48 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 121.2 | 522 | 126 | 47 | 51 | 9 | 37 | 2 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - |
1949 | 42 | Pirates | 28 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 1 | .857 | 3.91 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 76.0 | 330 | 82 | 33 | 35 | 8 | 32 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
13 Years | 390 | 243 | 88 | 143 | 97 | .596 | 3.48 | 137 | 20 | 15 | 2,119.1 | 9,101 | 2,101 | 819 | 983 | 116 | 748 | 78 | 636 | 30 | 23 | 2 | - |
Rip SewellRip Sewell Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1932 | 25 | Tigers | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 | .500 |
1938 | 31 | Pirates | 17 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .083 | .083 | .083 |
1939 | 32 | Pirates | 52 | 55 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .241 | .273 |
1940 | 33 | Pirates | 47 | 73 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .192 | .224 | .288 |
1941 | 34 | Pirates | 42 | 92 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .174 | .200 | .228 |
1942 | 35 | Pirates | 41 | 87 | 9 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .149 | .178 | .184 |
1943 | 36 | Pirates | 41 | 105 | 9 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .286 | .299 | .343 |
1944 | 37 | Pirates | 44 | 112 | 10 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .223 | .237 | .304 |
1945 | 38 | Pirates | 35 | 64 | 10 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .313 | .380 | .359 |
1946 | 39 | Pirates | 26 | 50 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .180 | .241 | .220 |
1947 | 40 | Pirates | 24 | 40 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .125 | .146 | .200 |
1948 | 41 | Pirates | 21 | 42 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .143 | .250 | .238 |
1949 | 42 | Pirates | 28 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .063 | .250 | .063 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
13 Years | 423 | 750 | 81 | 152 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 59 | 37 | 0 | 154 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 20 | .203 | .241 | .264 |
Rip SewellRip Sewell Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1932 Tigers | P | 5 | 0 | 32 | 4 | 0.8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.38 |
1938 Pirates | P | 17 | 0 | 115 | 14 | 0.8 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .929 | 3.05 |
1939 Pirates | P | 52 | 12 | 529 | 57 | 1.1 | 56 | 9 | 47 | 1 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .982 | 2.86 |
1940 Pirates | P | 33 | 23 | 569 | 68 | 2.1 | 63 | 17 | 46 | 5 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .926 | 2.99 |
1941 Pirates | P | 39 | 32 | 747 | 79 | 2.0 | 77 | 21 | 56 | 2 | 6 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .975 | 2.78 |
1942 Pirates | P | 40 | 33 | 744 | 72 | 1.8 | 70 | 19 | 51 | 2 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .972 | 2.54 |
1943 Pirates | P | 35 | 31 | 796 | 77 | 2.2 | 73 | 13 | 60 | 4 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .948 | 2.48 |
1944 Pirates | P | 38 | 33 | 858 | 74 | 1.9 | 70 | 21 | 49 | 4 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .946 | 2.20 |
1945 Pirates | P | 33 | 24 | 564 | 46 | 1.4 | 45 | 10 | 35 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .978 | 2.15 |
1946 Pirates | P | 25 | 20 | 448 | 36 | 1.4 | 34 | 8 | 26 | 2 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .944 | 2.05 |
1947 Pirates | P | 24 | 12 | 363 | 37 | 1.5 | 36 | 10 | 26 | 1 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .973 | 2.68 |
1948 Pirates | P | 21 | 17 | 365 | 34 | 1.6 | 31 | 10 | 21 | 3 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .912 | 2.29 |
1949 Pirates | P | 28 | 6 | 228 | 17 | 0.6 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .882 | 1.78 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
P Totals | 390 | 243 | 6,358 | 615 | 1.6 | 587 | 142 | 445 | 28 | 27 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .954 | 2.49 | |
13 Years | 390 | 243 | 6,358 | 615 | 1.6 | 587 | 142 | 445 | 28 | 27 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .954 | 2.49 |
Rip SewellRip Sewell Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1932 Tigers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.25 | 1.69 | 6.75 |
1938 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 12.0 | 0.0 | 0.81 | 3.99 | 4.93 |
1939 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 55.0 | 5.0 | 13.8 | 0.95 | 3.52 | 3.73 |
1940 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 14 | n/a | 73.0 | 3.8 | 18.3 | 0.90 | 2.85 | 3.18 |
1941 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 3 | n/a | 92.0 | 6.1 | 18.4 | 0.90 | 2.75 | 3.04 |
1942 Pirates | 2 | 1 | .667 | 0 | 2 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.6 | 21.8 | 0.96 | 2.50 | 2.61 |
1943 Pirates | 7 | 0 | 1.000 | 2 | 5 | n/a | 0.0 | 5.0 | 6.2 | 0.87 | 2.20 | 2.54 |
1944 Pirates | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 5 | n/a | 112.0 | 5.9 | 9.3 | 0.88 | 2.74 | 3.12 |
1945 Pirates | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 2 | n/a | 0.0 | 5.8 | 10.7 | 0.66 | 2.87 | 4.36 |
1946 Pirates | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 1 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.2 | 50.0 | 0.62 | 1.99 | 3.19 |
1947 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 40.0 | 6.7 | 10.0 | 1.00 | 2.68 | 2.68 |
1948 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 42.0 | 2.8 | 21.0 | 0.97 | 2.66 | 2.74 |
1949 Pirates | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.81 | 3.08 | 3.79 |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
13 Years | 12 | 1 | .923 | 3 | 32 | n/a | 125.0 | 4.9 | 12.7 | 0.85 | 2.70 | 3.18 |
Rip SewellRip Sewell Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1932 Detroit Tigers | 22 | $1,800.00 | n/a | - |
1938 Pittsburgh Pirates | 44 | Undetermined | - | - |
1939 Pittsburgh Pirates | 44 | Undetermined | - | - |
1940 Pittsburgh Pirates | 30 | Undetermined | - | - |
1941 Pittsburgh Pirates | 30 | Undetermined | - | - |
1942 Pittsburgh Pirates | 30 | Undetermined | - | - |
1943 Pittsburgh Pirates | 30 | $16,000.00 | Stats | - |
1944 Pittsburgh Pirates | 30 | $21,000.00 | Stats | - |
1945 Pittsburgh Pirates | 30 | $21,000.00 | n/a | - |
1946 Pittsburgh Pirates | 30 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
1947 Pittsburgh Pirates | 30 | Undetermined | - | - |
1948 Pittsburgh Pirates | 30 | Undetermined | - | - |
1949 Pittsburgh Pirates | 30 | Undetermined | - | - |
Rip Sewell Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Truett Banks Sewell was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Detroit Tigers (1932) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1938–1949). Rip, his nickname, was sent to four consecutive All-Star Games (1943, 1944, 1945, 1946) and is credited with inventing the "Eephus Pitch."
Rip Sewell led the National League in complete games and wins in 1943, winning percentage in 1948, and won 20-or-more games in back-to-back seasons (1943-1944). During that time, Sewell relied heavily on his blooper pitch, a high arcing (often above 20 feet) delivery he developed in 1942, after a hunting accident permanently damaged his big toe.
Rip Sewell: Born To Soon
MENTION THE NAME Rip Sewell to anyone who remembers when the city of New York had three baseball teams and the mind becomes a rampaging flood of memories. The Eephus Pitch ... The All-Star Game ... July 9, 1946 ... Fenway Park, Boston ... Ted Williams ... Forty years have passed, but Rip Sewell remembers the sequence of events like it was yesterday. In a flash, he is transported back that hot July afternoon.
"I wasn't expecting to pitch because I had a sore elbow," Sewell recalled. "But it was the eighth inning and the American League was beating us 8-0, and Charley Grimm and Bill McKechnie came to me and said, 'Hey, Rip, would you go in and pitch an inning and wake this crowd up? They're going to start asking for their money back.'
"They told me to go down to the bullpen and warm up and I said I don't have to warm up, all I have to do is shake hands with the catcher and I'm ready."
Rip Sewell knew what National League manager Grimm and coach McKechnie wanted. They wanted him to throw the old Eephus Pitch. Some people called it a Blooper Pitch because Sewell tosse it toward the plate on a high, lazy arc, like a bloop hit to the outfield. He first threw (it) against Dick Wakefield of the Detroit Tigers in a spring training game. After the game, the writers asked him what he called this unique, special pitch.
"It's an Eephus Pitch," volunteered Sewell's Pirates teammate, outfielder Maurice Van Robays.
"What's an eephus?" asked one writer.
"Eephus ain't nothon," Van Robays explained. "And that pitch ain't nothin' either."
In Boston's Fenway Park that July 9, 1946, Snuffy Stirnweiss and Jack Kramer had singled and Stan Spence walked to load the bases against Sewell in the AL eighth. Sam Chapman drove in one run with a sacrifice fly and now Williams stepped to the plate, already having homered and singled twice.
"Hey, Rip," Williams shouted, "you ain't gonna throw that damn ball in a game like this, are you?"
"Yeah, boy," Sewell replied, "You're gonna get it."
"Ted was shaking his head 'no,'" Sewell remembers, "and I was nodding my head 'yes.' I threw him one blooper and he swing from Port Arthur and fouled it off. The second one was an inch outside and he took it. I threw a fastball for a strike and then I threw my Sunday blooper.
"Ted ran up three steps and hit it out of the ballpark. Actually, he was out of the batter's box when he hit it and if it was a regular game, Larry Goetz (plate ump) would have had to call him out for stepping out of the box. But it was only an exhibition and the crowd loved it. It was a terrific show. If I had $10 for every time they showed that film on the television, I'd be a rich man today."
Source of Excerpt: The Daily News. Phil Pepe. February 23, 1986. Page 52.
Did you know that Rip Sewell surrendered 116 home runs in regular season games, to sixty-eight batters, in ten different ballparks, but none of them ever homered off his blooper pitch?