Wilfred Charles "Sonny" Siebert (born January 14, 1937) is a former
Major League Baseball right-handed
pitcher from 1964 to 1975. He finished with a record of 140-114 and a 3.21
ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Compa ...
. He threw a
no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
on June 10, 1966, against the
Washington Senators. He was drafted simultaneously by the
Cleveland Indians and the
St. Louis Hawks of the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
.
Amateur career
Siebert attended
Bayless Senior High School
Bayless Senior High School is a public school located in St. Louis, Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st ...
, and the
University of Missouri and played on the
1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
team that lost in the
College World Series finals in 12 innings. He was selected to the CWS
All Tournament Team that year.
Professional career
Siebert signed with the
Cleveland Indians as an outfielder, and it was two years into his minor league career that Indians pitching coach
Spud Chandler convinced Siebert to try pitching.
[ ] Siebert made his debut in 1964, and posted 16 wins in both 1965 and 1966.
On June 10, 1966, Siebert pitched a
no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
against the
Washington Senators.
[ He was third in the American League in earned run average (ERA) in 1967. Siebert had a 12–10 record in his final full year in Cleveland, in 1968. He was traded along with Joe Azcue and ]Vicente Romo
Vicente is an Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese name. Like its French variant, Vincent, it is derived from the Latin name ''Vincentius'' meaning "conquering" (from Latin ''vincere'', "to conquer").
Vicente may refer to:
Location
*São Vicente, Ca ...
from the Indians to the Boston Red Sox for Ken Harrelson
Kenneth Smith Harrelson (born September 4, 1941), nicknamed "The Hawk" due to his distinctive profile, is an American former professional baseball All-Star first baseman and outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 197 ...
, Dick Ellsworth
Richard Clark Ellsworth (March 22, 1940 – October 10, 2022) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs (1958, 1960–1966), Philadelphia Phillies (1967), Boston Red ...
, and Juan Pizarro on April 19, . Siebert spent five seasons with the Red Sox and was named an All-Star in 1971. He was traded in 1973 to the Texas Rangers, and then played for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
.
Siebert is the most recent American League pitcher to hit two home runs in one game, accomplishing the feat prior to the 1973 introduction of the designated hitter, as a member of the Boston Red Sox on September 2, 1971, against the Baltimore Orioles. He was sent from the Rangers to the Cardinals for Tommy Cruz
Cirilo "Tommy" Cruz Dilan (born February 15, 1951) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals () and Chicago White Sox (). Cruz batted and threw left-handed. He is the brother of Héctor and José Cru ...
and cash on October 26, 1973. On September 11, 1974, he was credited with the win in a 25-inning Cardinal win over the New York Mets. It is the second longest game in innings played in National League history. He was involved in a three-team deal on November 18, 1974 in which he was dealt along with Alan Foster and Rich Folkers
Richard Nevin Folkers (born October 17, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from to for the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and M ...
from the Cardinals to the Padres for Ed Brinkman who had been sent to San Diego with Bob Strampe
Robert Edwin Strampe ( ; born June 13, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher in for the Detroit Tigers.
Baseball career
Strampe was born in Janesville, ...
and Dick Sharon from 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 of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
for Nate Colbert
Nathan Colbert Jr. (April 9, 1946 – January 5, 2023) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1966 to 1976, most prominently as a member of the newly formed San Diego Padre ...
."Colbert Traded In 3‐Team Deal," ''United Press International'' (UPI), Monday, November 18, 1974.
Retrieved October 21, 2020 Danny Breeden went from the Padres to the Cardinals to subsequently complete the transactions.
As a hitter, Siebert was an occasional home run threat. He posted a .173
batting average (114-for-660) with 52
runs, 12
home runs
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 i ...
and 57
RBI. In 1971, as a member of the Red Sox, he batted a career-high .266 (21-for-79) with 6 home runs and 15 RBI, also career highs.
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
Below is a list of Major League Baseball no-hitters, enumerating every no-hitter pitched in Major League Baseball history. In addition, all no-hitters that were broken up in extra innings or were in shortened games are listed, although they are no ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siebert, Sonny
1937 births
Living people
People from Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri
Missouri Tigers baseball players
Missouri Tigers men's basketball players
Baseball players from Missouri
Cleveland Indians players
Boston Red Sox players
Texas Rangers players
St. Louis Cardinals players
San Diego Padres players
Oakland Athletics players
Major League Baseball pitchers
American League All-Stars
Batavia Indians players
Burlington Indians players (1958–1964)
Reading Indians players
Salt Lake City Bees players
Jacksonville Suns players
Charleston Indians players
American men's basketball players