 He spent the 1940 season as a pitching coach but, when the Indians decided to hire Roger Peckinpaugh as their manager for the 1941 season, Sewell accepted the manager's position with the St. Louis Browns, replacing Fred Haney.Because of the shortage of major league players during the Second World War, Sewell served as a player-manager during the 1942 season, appearing in six games.He played his final game as a player on August 1, at the age of 41.