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Tom Sunkel
Thomas Jacob Sunkel
Nickname: Lefty
Born: Aug. 9, 1912 in Paris, Ill.
Died: April 6, 2002 in Paris, Ill.
Debut: 1937 | Pos: P
H: 6'1" | W: 190 | B: L | T: L
| Yr | W | L | G | SV | IP | SO | ERA |
| 6 | 9 | 15 | 63 | 2 | 220.1 | 112 | 4.53 |
>> Visit the Tom Sunkel biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.
Thomas Jacob Sunkel pitched 220 innings in major league baseball despite the fact he developed an inoperable cataract that left him without sight in one eye.
Sunkel pitched his way through the Cardinals' minor league system and made his debut during the 1937 season. He appeared again with the Cardinals in 1939 before pitching for the New York Giants from 1941-43 and with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944.
He was reported to have compensated for his vision problem by cocking his head to one side while he was pitching and batting. He finished with a 9-15 record in 220 innings pitched, compiling a 4.53 ERA and striking out 112.
Following his retirement, Sunkel worked for the city of Parris, Illinois, and managed the Paris Lakers, a member of the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League. In 1951, he signed Clint McCord of the Negro National League's Baltimore Elite Giants.
Sources: Paris Beacon News, Total Baseball