Getting Ready For The Game

Lou Sleater turns 86 on September 8, 2012. The St. Louis native pitched for some very bad teams such as the Browns, Senators and Athletics during a major league career which stretched intermittently from 1950 until 1958. His career record was 12-18.

In this photograph, Sleater is warming up before a game at a virtually empty Tiger Stadium in May of 1957 when he was with Detroit.

One personal highlight in his career came on May 30, 1957. Sleater pitched an inning of  scoreless relief in the top of the tenth in a 5-5 game. Leading off the bottom of the tenth, Sleater had a count of two and one when he hit his first major league home run into the right field stands at Tiger Stadium to win the game 6-5 over the Kansas City Athletics. He would go on to hit two more home runs that year and bat .250. Not bad for a relief pitcher.

Happy birthday Lou.

UPDATE 4/10/13 – Lou Sleater passed away at the age of 86 at his home in Timonium, MD on March 25, 2013 from lung disease.