The 1923 San Francisco Seals season was the 21st season in the history of the San Francisco Seals baseball team. The 1923 team won the Pacific Coast League (PCL) pennant with a 124–77 record.
| 1923 San Francisco Seals | |
|---|---|
| League | Pacific Coast League |
| Ballpark | Recreation Park |
| City | San Francisco |
| Record | 124–77 (.617) |
| League place | 1st |
| Managers | Dots Miller, Babe Ellison |
Dots Miller began the season as the team's manager. However, he developed tuberculosis and resigned his position in July to seek treatment at a sanitarium in Saranac Lake, New York.[1] He died there in September 1923.[2]
When Miller resigned as manager, first baseman Babe Ellison became a player-manager. He compiled a .358 batting average and led the team with 23 home runs, 67 doubles, and a .564 slugging percentage.[3][4]
Right fielder Paul Waner, playing his first season of professional baseball at age 20, led the 1923 Seals with a .369 batting average.[3][4] Waner later played 15 years for the Pittsburgh Pirates and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.
Pitcher Harry Courtney led the PCL with a .766 winning percentage (19 wins, six losses) and ranked second in the league with a 2.80 earned run average (ERA).[5] In addition, three other San Francisco pitchers (Red Shea, Bob Geary, and Doug McWeeny) won at least 20 games each.[6][3]
Players
editBatting
editNote: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; SLG = Slugging percentage
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | Paul Waner | 112 | 325 | 120 | .369 | 3 | .514 |
| 1B | Babe Ellison | 192 | 757 | 271 | .358 | 23 | .564 |
| LF | Joe Kelly | 107 | 443 | 154 | .348 | 5 | .481 |
| OF | Tim Hendryx | 133 | 475 | 161 | .339 | 6 | .463 |
| RF | Gene Valla | 194 | 829 | 277 | .334 | 1 | .429 |
| 3B | Eddie Mulligan | 155 | 620 | 204 | .329 | 9 | .434 |
| 2B | Pete Kilduff | 161 | 622 | 204 | .328 | 10 | .477 |
| OF | Pete Compton | 134 | 527 | 171 | .324 | 7 | .454 |
| C | Sam Agnew | 110 | 369 | 115 | .312 | 13 | .491 |
| SS | Hal Rhyne | 168 | 611 | 181 | .296 | 5 | .376 |
| C | Archie Yelle | 106 | 356 | 100 | .281 | 2 | .365 |
Pitching
editNote: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; PCT = Win percentage; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | PCT | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Shea | 44 | 291 | 21 | 10 | .677 | 3.62 |
| Bob Geary | 42 | 262 | 21 | 11 | .656 | 3.64 |
| Doug McWeeny | 48 | 253 | 20 | 12 | .625 | 3.91 |
| Harry Courtney | 36 | 251 | 19 | 6 | .760 | 2.80 |
| Shovel Hodge | 49 | 256 | 18 | 15 | .545 | 3.48 |
| Jim Scott | 28 | 173 | 11 | 9 | .550 | 4.06 |
| Ollie Mitchell | 41 | 204 | 10 | 9 | .526 | 3.40 |
References
edit- ^ "White Plague Drives Jack Miller To Sanitarium". The Sacramento Bee. July 24, 1923. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jack (Dots) Miller, Former Manager of Seals, Passes Away at Saranac Lake, N.Y." Oakland Tribune. September 6, 1923. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "1923 San Francisco Seals". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Pacific Coast League Batting Averages". The San Francisco Examiner. October 16, 1923. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Harry Courtney, Lanky Seal Southpaw, Tops Pacific Coast Pitcher". Salt Lake Telegram. December 8, 1923. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Pacific Coast Baseball League 1923 Pitching Record". Salt Lake Telegram. December 8, 1923. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.