 Sisler was born on October 16 , 1931 , in St. Louis , Missouri , to George Sisler , a Baseball Hall of Fame player , and Kathleen . He played baseball in high school and when he was 16 he went to work for his father who was a coach in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization . Dave kept statistics and was occasionally allowed to pitch . The Dodgers did not <unk> a future with him and did not pursue a contract due to his commitment to Princeton and future military obligation . Sisler was signed by the Boston Red Sox of the American League ( AL ) after his time with Princeton , and began his professional baseball career at the age of 21 in 1953 for the Albany Senators in the class @-@ A Eastern League . He pitched in 21 games that season , 20 as their starting pitcher ; he had a 12 – 7 win – loss record , an ERA of 2 @.@ 60 in 135 innings pitched . He did not play professional baseball in either 1954 or 1955 due to his active military service . 
