Sig Jakucki

Sigmund "Jack" Jakucki (August 20, 1909 – May 28, 1979) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the St. Louis Browns.

In 1935, Jakucki went 15–14 for Galveston of the Texas League. The Browns purchased him the following year, but he pitched poorly for them, going 0–3 with an 8.71 earned run average in 20.2 innings.

Jakucki quit the minor leagues in 1938. He moved on to various semi-pro teams in Texas while also working as a paperhanger.^[1] During World War II, however, the Browns ran short of players and re-signed him. In 1944, he returned to the majors and went 13–9 with a 3.55 ERA. He defeated the New York Yankees, 5 to 2, in the final game of the 1944 season to clinch the pennant for St. Louis. He lost his only start in the 1944 World Series.

In 1945, Jakucki went 12–10. However, he was also very temperamental and an alcoholic. He apparently derived pleasure in tormenting teammate Pete Gray, who had only one arm. One day, the two got into an argument and settled it with a fight, with Sig holding one arm behind his back. Jakucki was kicked off the team by manager Luke Sewell late in the season and never returned to the majors.^[2]

He died in Galveston, Texas, at the age of 69, reportedly destitute.

Jakucki's name, misspelled "Jackucki", appears in the sheet music for Dave Frishberg's song "Van Lingle Mungo".

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube