Andrew Wasal Seminick (September 12, 1920 – February 22, 2004) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

player.Andy Seminick at Baseball Reference
/ref> He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...

for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

between

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

and

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

, and the Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs from

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh ...

through part of

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yiji ...

, when he rejoined the Phillies for the rest of his career until his release at the end of the

1957 1957 (Roman numerals, MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday, common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, t ...

season. Seminick was an integral part of the

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...

"Whiz Kids" Phillies team that won their first pennant since .''Seminick-Key Man of Phils'', by Charles Dexter, Baseball Digest November 1950, Vol. 9, No. 11

/ref>

Playing career

Seminick was born in Pierce, West Virginia to Lemko immigrant parents, but moved to Muse, Pennsylvania when Andy was two. His father was a Rusyn from Żegiestów in Nowy Sacz County. He was contracted as an amateur

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January– August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar E ...

by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

.Andy Seminick Trades and Transactions at Baseball Almanac
/ref> Seminick led the

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from J ...

in 1942 with 15

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

s and 202

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, whil ...

, and was among the league leaders in

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average i ...

. In , he had a .303 batting average with the

Knoxville Smokies Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state ...

of the Class-A

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), ...

, and was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies. At the age of 23, Seminick made his major league debut on September 14,

. By

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

, the Phillies were using Seminick in a

platoon system A platoon system in baseball or American football is a method for substituting players in groups (platoons), to keep complementary players together during playing time. Baseball In baseball, a platoon is a method of sharing playing time, where ...

alongside veteran catcher Gus Mancuso. While he could hit for power, his defensive skills were below average, as he led the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

in errors in 1946,

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

and

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – ...

. Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer assigned Phillies coach and former catcher

Cy Perkins Ralph Foster "Cy" Perkins (February 27, 1896 – October 2, 1963) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball most notably for the Philadelphia Athletics. Perkins batted and ...

to tutor him, which helped improve his defensive skills. He was voted by baseball fans to be the starting catcher for the National League in the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

, mostly for his reputation as a hitter. On June 2, , the Phillies hit five home runs during the eighth

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

in a 12–3 victory over Cincinnati at

Shibe Park Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened April 12, 1 ...

, tying the major league mark set by the

1939 New York Giants The New York Giants season was the franchise's 15th season in the National Football League. Schedule Game Summaries Week 3: at Philadelphia Eagles Week 4: at Washington Redskins Week 5: at Pittsburgh Pirates Week 6: vs. Philadelphia E ...

. Seminick hit two home runs in the inning, while Del Ennis,

Willie Jones Willie Jones may refer to: Sports *Willie Jones (American football) (born 1957), former American football player with the Oakland Raiders *Willie Jones (third baseman) (1925–1983), American Major League Baseball player * Willie Jones (catcher) ( ...

and

Schoolboy Rowe Lynwood Thomas "Schoolboy" Rowe (January 11, 1910 – January 8, 1961) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Detroit Tigers (1932–42) and Philadelphia Phillies (1943, 1946–49). He was a three-time A ...

had one each. Jones added a

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a "treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * In ...

as Granny Hamner's

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

jumped the

extra bases also known as ''Pro Yakyū: Family Stadium'' and ''Famista'', is a series of baseball sports video games initially developed and released by Namco in Japan, and later developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The first entry in t ...

total to 18, still a record. Seminick collected three home runs overall. With his defensive and pitch calling skills improved, Seminick played an important leadership role during the

"Whiz Kids" championship season. Because he was, at 29, one of the veterans on the squad and was called upon to handle a young Phillie pitching staff,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

baseball writers nicknamed Seminick "Grandpa Whiz." On August 12, 1950, in a game against the Giants, Seminick became irritated after Eddie Stanky repeatedly waved his arms while Seminick was batting. Stanky was eventually ejected from the game, but Seminick took out his frustrations on

Bill Rigney William Joseph Rigney (January 29, 1918 – February 20, 2001) was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. A 26-year big-league veteran, Rigney played for the New York Giants from to , then spent 18 seasons as the skipper ...

, Stanky's replacement at second base. After he reached base on an

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistic ...

in the fourth inning, he slid hard into second base, crashing into Rigney and causing him to fall over. A nearly ten-minute brawl erupted between the teams, which required police intervention and resulted in the ejection of Seminick and Rigney from the game. The Phillies went on to win 4–3. Seminick enjoyed his best season in 1950, hitting for a .288 batting average with 24 home runs and 68 runs batted in. Seminick broke his ankle late in the season, but continued to play with the injury until the Phillies lost to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

in the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 World Series, 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The ...

. Future Hall of Fame pitcher,

Robin Roberts Robin Roberts may refer to: * Robin Roberts (newscaster) (born 1960), ''Good Morning America'' anchor and former ESPN anchor * Robin Roberts (baseball) (1926–2010), American baseball player * Rockin' Robin Roberts (1940–1967), singer See al ...

said of Seminick,"If you had to pick a guy in the clubhouse who was our leader that year, it would be Andy. He always played hard, and that was his best year by far". Andy Seminick Bowman card

, Seminick was beaned by a

Max Lanier Hubert Max Lanier (August 18, 1915 – January 30, 2007) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who spent most of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. He led the National League in earned run average in 1943, and was th ...

fastball, diminishing his ability to play. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for catcher Smoky Burgess, playing there from

until the early part of the

season. In

, he was once again traded for Burgess, returning to the Phillies, where he led National League catchers with a .994

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

. He played two more years before ending his playing career at the age of 36 after the

season.

Career statistics

In a 15-year major league career, Seminick played in 1,304

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (su ...

, totaling 953 hits in 3,921

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

for a .243 batting average, with 164 home runs and 556

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

. He threw out 44.6% of the base runners who tried steal a base on him, 16th on the all-time list. Seminick led National League catchers twice in baserunners

caught stealing In baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder whil ...

and once each in

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or '' fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner wit ...

s, assists and

. At the time of his retirement, he ranked seventh all-time in home runs by catchers.

Managing and coaching career

After retiring as a player, Seminick worked for the Philadelphia organization for the rest of his life. He was a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

with the Phillies (1957–58, 1967–69) and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

of 11 minor-league affiliates (1959–66, 1970–73).Andy Seminick Minor league manager statistics
After that, he served as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement * Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

and as a roving minor-league instructor for the Phillies (1974–mid-1980s). Notably, ninety of the players he managed or coached eventually played in the major leagues, including

Mike Schmidt Michael Jack Schmidt (born September 27, 1949) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire 18-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies. Schmidt was a 12-time All-Star and a ...

, Ferguson Jenkins, Greg Luzinski and Bob Boone. Seminick helped to convert Boone from a

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system u ...

to one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. In the 1990s, Seminick served as a catching instructor for Philadelphia in

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

and in the Florida Instructional League. Andy Seminick died in

Palm Bay, Florida Palm Bay is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The city's population was 119,760 at th2020 United States Census making it the most populous city in the county and the largest by land mass. The historic section of the city lies on the ...

, at 83 years of age.

References

External links

Andy Seminick
at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Andy Seminick
at Baseballbiography.com

at The Deadball Era * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seminick, Andy 1920 births 2004 deaths American people of Lemko descent American people of Ukrainian descent Baseball players from West Virginia Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chattanooga Lookouts managers Cincinnati Redlegs players Cincinnati Reds players Deaths from cancer in Florida Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox players Eugene Emeralds managers Knoxville Smokies players London Pirates players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball catchers People from Palm Bay, Florida People from Tucker County, West Virginia People from Washington County, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Phillies coaches Philadelphia Phillies players Philadelphia Phillies scouts Reading Phillies managers