James Patrick Seerey (March 17, 1923 – April 28, 1986) was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player. An

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

, Seerey played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for seven seasons in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. In 561 career games, Seerey recorded a

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 is ...

of .224 and accumulated 86

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 261

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) 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 th ...

(RBI). Born in Oklahoma and raised in Arkansas, Seerey played football and baseball in high school. After graduating, he joined the Cleveland Indians' farm system in 1941, and made his major league debut two-and-a-half years later. He was primarily a starting outfielder the next five seasons for the Indians, but led the league in

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s four times. He was traded partway through the 1948 season to the Chicago White Sox, and a month after being traded became the fifth player in major league history to hit four home runs in one game. The following season, he was sent to the minor leagues, and played a few seasons in the farm system for the White Sox before retiring.

Early life and minor leagues

Pat Seerey was born in

Wilburton, Oklahoma Wilburton is a city in Latimer County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Latimer County. The city had a population of 2,285 as of the 2020 Census. Robbers Cave State Park is north of Wilburton.Johnston, Betty Wooldridge. ''Ok ...

, in 1923 to James and Marie Seerey. His family moved to

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, when he was a child, and he played baseball for the Little Rock Boys' Club at Lamar Porter Field. He attended Little Rock Catholic High School, where he played baseball and

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

, serving as the team's starting

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

. After graduating from high school in 1941, he was signed by the

. Shortly afterwards, he was classified as 4-F, meaning he would not be lost to the military during World War II. Seerey started his minor league baseball career in 1941 with the

Appleton Papermakers The Appleton Papermakers were a minor league baseball team located in Appleton, Wisconsin. They were part of the Wisconsin-Illinois League from 1909-1914 and was in the Wisconsin State League from 1940-1942 and 1946-1953. The team was coached by ...

of the

Wisconsin State League The Wisconsin State League was a class D level baseball league that began in 1905, changing its name to the Wisconsin–Illinois League in 1908 and operating through 1914. The league re–organized under that name in 1926. Another Wisconsin Stat ...

. In one of his first appearances for the team, he

hit for the cycle Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust or HIT, a fictional organization ...

in a 15–4 victory against the Fond du Lac Panthers. In 104 games for Appleton that year, Seerey had a .330

with 31

s and 117

; the 31 home runs were a record for the Wisconsin State League at the time. The following season, Seerey played for the

Cedar Rapids Raiders Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

of the Three-I League. In 117 games for the Raiders, he had a .303 batting average and 33 home runs. In 1943, Seerey was promoted to the

Wilkes-Barre Barons The Wilkes-Barre Barons were a basketball team from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The Barons played between 1933 and 1980 in different United States, American sports league, leagues. The team won 11 titles during this time, including while playin ...

of the Eastern League, and played in 31 games over the first two months of the season. In early June, outfielder

Hank Edwards Henry Albert Edwards (January 29, 1919 – June 22, 1988) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1941 and 1953 for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, Cin ...

broke his

collarbone The clavicle, collarbone, or keybone is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on each side of the body. The clavicle is the ...

, and the Indians needed an extra outfielder on the roster; Seerey was promoted as a result.

Cleveland Indians

Seerey made his debut with the Indians on June 9, 1943. Almost immediately after his debut, he earned the nickname of "people's choice" in media due to both his hitting ability and his "willingness to challenge the brick walls of the stadium". He played in 26 games for the Indians on the season, and hit .222 in 72

at-bat 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 upon completion of his turn at bat, b ...

s. Entering the

1944 Cleveland Indians season The 1944 Cleveland Indians season was a season in American major league baseball. The team finished fifth in the American League with a record of 72–82–1. Regular season Season standings Record vs. opponents Roster Player stat ...

, manager

Lou Boudreau Louis Boudreau (July 17, 1917 – August 10, 2001), nicknamed "Old Shufflefoot", "Handsome Lou", and "the Good Kid", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons, primarily as a ...

planned to use Seerey as the starting

center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the ...

, as he had reported to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

25 pounds lighter and Boudreau felt that Seerey could improve on a weak area on the team's roster. Seerey moved back to

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering syst ...

to begin the season; in his first game there on the year, he hit a three-run home run to give the Indians a 7–4 victory over the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

. A month into the season, Seerey was among the league leaders in runs batted in, which was attributed to better plate discipline, though his fielding in the outfield was still considered a liability. Partway through the season, Seerey's playing time diminished, yet he remained the team leader in home runs for most of the season despite limited at-bats. He finished the season with 15 home runs, 39 runs batted in, and a league-leading 99

s in 101 games. Entering the 1945 Cleveland Indians season, Seerey was re-classified as 1-A, and took a military examination during the offseason. He was not slated to join the military after the exam, and the season started with him on the roster as one of the team's starting three outfielders, thanks in part to getting in shape after a strict diet during the offseason. He started off with hits in the first seven games of the season. A month into the season, Seerey hit his first two home runs of the season in a 7–3 loss to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

. He followed that up in a mid-July game against the Yankees with three home runs and eight runs batted in, becoming the fourth Indians player to hit three home runs in a game in a 16–4 Indians win. He spent the second half of the season in and out of the starting lineup due to his inconsistent hitting; manager Boudreau felt that occasional rest days would increase his consistency. In a career-high 126 games, Seerey hit .236 with 14 home runs and 97 strikeouts, which again led the league. After getting married in early 1946 to Jeanne Dillinger, Seerey started the

1946 Cleveland Indians season In 1946, Bill Veeck finally became the owner of a major league team, the Cleveland Indians. He immediately put the team's games on radio, and set about to put his own indelible stamp on the franchise. Actor Bob Hope also acquired a minority share ...

working with Boudreau to fix his hitting, as his lunge when he swung the bat was causing him to strike out too often and not hit enough home runs. The change worked, as by the start of July Seerey had a team-leading 11 home runs. His second-half performance included a doubleheader against the

where he hit a home run in each game; the second home run landed in the upper deck of

Cleveland Municipal Stadium Cleveland Stadium, commonly known as Municipal Stadium, Lakefront Stadium or Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and foot ...

, a feat that at the time had only been matched by fellow Indians outfielder

Jeff Heath John Geoffrey Heath (April 1, 1915 – December 9, 1975) was a Canadian-born American left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played most of his career for the Cleveland Indians. He was one of the American League's most promising power ...

. He finished the season with a .225 batting average, 26 home runs, 62 RBIs, and 101 strikeouts. The 26 home runs were fourth in the league, and for the third straight year Seerey led the league in strikeouts. Indians catcher

Jim Hegan James Edward Hegan (August 3, 1920 – June 17, 1984) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and scout. He played for 17 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to and to , most notably for the Cleveland Indian ...

and Seerey spent the offseason improving their hitting, attending batting school led by Hall of Famer

Rogers Hornsby Rogers Hornsby (April 27, 1896 – January 5, 1963), nicknamed "the Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager (baseball), manager, and coach (baseball), coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. ...

; Hornsby concentrated primarily on improving Seerey's timing to help him to hit the ball more frequently. In spring training games, Seerey had nine home runs, and expectations were high for him; Boudreau gave him the starting job in left field for the opener against the White Sox. Through the first month of the season, Seerey had six home runs, but his performance worsened as the season went on. At the end of June, Seerey was removed from the starting lineup and replaced by both Dale Mitchell and Hank Edwards; he spent the rest of the season playing part-time. He finished the season with a .171 batting average and 11 home runs in 82 games. After the 1947 season ended, Indians owner

Bill Veeck William Louis Veeck Jr. ( ; February 9, 1914 – January 2, 1986), also known as "Sport Shirt Bill" and "Wild Bill" was an American Major League Baseball franchise owner and promoter. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indian ...

put Seerey on a strict diet and exercise regimen for the offseason, stating that he had to lose 35 pounds if he wanted to remain on the team. By the start of spring training, he had reached his goal of 195 pounds, and felt like he had an easier time swinging the baseball bat as a result. After a good month of spring training, Boudreau named him the starter in right field for the 1948 season, saying that "he'll be in there until he stops hitting." Shortly afterwards, Seerey was removed from the starting lineup, and he ended up playing 10 games for the Indians before being traded. On June 2, Seerey was traded with

Al Gettel Allen Jones Gettel (September 17, 1917 – April 8, 2005), nicknamed "Two Gun", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, New York Giants, and St ...

to the White Sox for

Bob Kennedy Robert Daniel Kennedy (August 18, 1920 – April 7, 2005) was an American professional baseball right fielder/third baseman, manager and executive in Major League Baseball. From 1939 to 1957, Kennedy played for the Chicago White Sox (1939–42, ...

due to his inconsistency as well as an overstocked group of outfielders on the roster.

Chicago White Sox and later life

Seerey was named the starting left fielder upon joining the White Sox, a position he held the rest of the season. Through his first 12 games, Seerey had 16 RBIs. On July 18, Seerey made history, becoming the fifth player to hit four home runs in one game, doing so in an 11-

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 ...

, 12–11 win over the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...

. Seerey homered in three successive innings (fourth through sixth), hitting his first two off

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

Carl Scheib Carl Alvin Scheib (January 1, 1927 – March 24, 2018) was a professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics (1943–1945 and 1947–1954) and St. Louis Cardinals (1954) of Major League Baseball (MLB). Biograp ...

and the third off

reliever In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

Bob Savage John Robert Savage (December 1, 1921 – July 26, 2013) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns of Major League Baseball (MLB) in parts of five seasons spanning 1942–1949. Li ...

. His fourth home run, in the 11th off

Lou Brissie Leland Victor Brissie (June 5, 1924 – November 25, 2013) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1953 for the Philadelphia Athletics and Cleveland Indians. Youth and World War II Brissi ...

, gave the White Sox the win. On that day, Seerey went 4-for- 6 with seven

. In 105 games, 95 with the White Sox, Seerey had a .231 batting average, 19 home runs, 70 RBIs, and 102 strikeouts; he led the league in strikeouts for the fourth time. The White Sox brought on new manager

Jack Onslow John James Onslow (October 13, 1888 – December 22, 1960) was an American player, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball. A catcher during his playing days, he spent a dozen years in the minor leagues, but only 36 games played in the ...

to begin the 1949 Chicago White Sox season. He had a problem with Seerey, who arrived overweight to spring training, and did not consider him worthy of practicing with the other players until he got the weight back down. After playing in four games for the Sox, his last coming on May 7, Seerey was sent to the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

, ending his major league career. He played for four minor league teams in 1949: Los Angeles, the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American independent league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Bas ...

, the Kansas City Blues, and the

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...

. Seerey spent 1950 with the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado R ...

of the Western League. Partway through the season, he broke the league's home run record of 30, and went on to hit 44 for the Sky Sox over the course of the season. He then finished the season with the

Memphis Chickasaws Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memph ...

, playing 136 total games with both teams. Seerey split most of the 1951 season between Memphis and Colorado Springs. In one game with the Sky Sox in June, Seerey had two

grand slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

s and nine RBIs in a game, both league records at the time. He ended the season with the

Tampa Smokers The Tampa Smokers was a name used between 1919 and 1954 by a series of minor league baseball, minor league baseball teams based in Tampa, Florida. The nickname was a nod to the History of Ybor City, local cigar industry, which was the most impor ...

, and had 28 home runs in 113 between the three teams. In 1952, Seerey joined a semi-professional baseball team in

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. With them, he had 11 home runs and a .253 batting average, and retired at season's end. The 11 home runs were the highest in the league that season. After retiring, Seerey became a janitor in the

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

public school system. He died in

Jennings, Missouri Jennings is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 12,895. History The city was named after James Jennings, a farmer and merchant who moved to the area from Virginia with his family and ret ...

, from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

on April 28, 1986, at the age of 63.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seerey, Pat 1923 births 1986 deaths Appleton Papermakers players Baseball players from Oklahoma Cedar Rapids Raiders players Chicago White Sox players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Springs Sky Sox (WL) players Deaths from lung cancer in Missouri Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Major League Baseball center fielders Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball right fielders Memphis Chickasaws players Newark Bears (International League) players People from Latimer County, Oklahoma San Antonio Missions players Tampa Smokers players Wilkes-Barre Barons (baseball) players Burials at Calvary Cemetery (St. Louis) 20th-century American sportsmen

Early life and minor leagues

Cleveland Indians

Chicago White Sox and later life

See also

References

External links