John Sipin
Encyclopedia
John White Sipin is a former major league baseball player from Watsonville, California
. He was a second baseman
for the San Diego Padres
. He also played nine seasons in Japan
with the Taiyo Whales
and Yomiuri Giants
. He is of Filipino (Ilocano) and Caucasian ancestry.
in the 55th round of the 1965 amateur draft
. He played four seasons in the Cardinals' minor league system, rising as high as the Triple-A Tulsa Oilers
, with whom he opened the season. He was traded to the San Diego Padres
on May 22, 1969 with Sonny Ruberto
for the Padres' Jerry Davanon
and Bill Davis
.
s, two triples
and two homers
in 229 at bat
s. He also had 9 RBI
s and 2 stolen base
s that season. Sipin had 7 error
s in the field, giving him a fielding percentage
of 0.976 for 477 innings.
An interesting quirk to Sipin's major league career was that he hit a triple
in each of his first two big league at bats, but never collected another three-base hit in the majors. On May 24, 1969, Sipin hit triples in the first and fourth innings
off pitcher
Ken Holtzman
of the Chicago Cubs
.
Following the 1969 season, Sipin returned to the minor leagues. He played the next two seasons with the Padres' top farm team, for the Salt Lake City Bees and for the Hawaii Islanders
. Each year, he hit over .300 with exactly 20 home runs. However, he never got another shot at the major leagues.
) in 1972, and instantly became one of the best second basemen in Japanese baseball during the 1970s. He played his best season in 1975, hitting 34 home runs and 82 RBIs, with a .295 batting average. He also won the Japanese golden glove award at second base in 1972 and 1973.
He was given to the Yomiuri Giants
in 1978, and hit over .300 each of his full seasons with the Giants, often playing in the outfield instead of second base. He retired in 1980, after missing half of the season with an injury.
Sipin gained incredible popularity in Japan, and his huge mat of hair and beard gave him the nickname, Lion Maru (after the character in the children's television series Kaiketsu Lion-Maru
). He was highly entertaining on and off the field, making entrances with extravagant outfits, or fielding ground balls with his batting helmet on. He drastically changed his appearance when he joined the Yomiuri Giants, shaving off his long hair and beard to adopt a gentleman-like look (similarly, Michihiro Ogasawara
shaved off his trademark beard when he joined the Giants, though this was probably more in imitation of Johnny Damon
and the New York Yankees
).
Though Sipin changed his look when he joined the Giants, his wild personality did not change at all, especially because Clete Boyer
, his coach and mentor on the Taiyo Whales, was no longer there to hold him back. In 1978, he charged at the mound after being hit by a pitch two times during the season, and was ejected both times after beating up the opposing pitcher. He had been ejected once with the Whales, but only for kicking sand onto the home plate after a disputed call.
Watsonville, California
Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 51,199 according to the 2010 census.Located on the central coast of California, the economy centers predominantly around the farming industry. It is known for growing strawberries, apples, lettuce and a host...
. He was a second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
for the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. He also played nine seasons in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with the Taiyo Whales
Yokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
and Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
. He is of Filipino (Ilocano) and Caucasian ancestry.
With the Cardinals
Sipin was selected by the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in the 55th round of the 1965 amateur draft
1965 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1965 Major League Baseball Draft is the first year in which a draft took place for Major League Baseball.In Major League Baseball's first Free Agent Amateur Draft, the Kansas City Athletics selected Arizona State sophomore Rick Monday as the number one pick...
. He played four seasons in the Cardinals' minor league system, rising as high as the Triple-A Tulsa Oilers
Tulsa Oilers (baseball)
The Tulsa Oilers, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off in multiple leagues from 1905 to 1976. For most of their history, they played at Oiler Park, which opened on July 11, 1934, and was located on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds at 15th Street and...
, with whom he opened the season. He was traded to the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
on May 22, 1969 with Sonny Ruberto
Sonny Ruberto
John Edward "Sonny" Ruberto is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He played parts of two seasons in the majors, for the San Diego Padres and for the Cincinnati Reds. After his playing career, he worked as a minor league manager and coach in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.-Sources:...
for the Padres' Jerry Davanon
Jerry DaVanon
Frank Gerald DaVanon is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily as an infielder.- First Cardinals stint :...
and Bill Davis
Bill Davis (baseball)
Arthur Willard Davis is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the Cleveland Indians from to and the San Diego Padres in ....
.
With the Padres
Following the trade, Sipin was promoted to the major leagues. Sipin played 68 games for the Padres that season, batting .223 with 12 doubleDouble (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
s, two triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and two homers
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
in 229 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s. He also had 9 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
s and 2 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s that season. Sipin had 7 error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
s in the field, giving him a fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
of 0.976 for 477 innings.
An interesting quirk to Sipin's major league career was that he hit a triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
in each of his first two big league at bats, but never collected another three-base hit in the majors. On May 24, 1969, Sipin hit triples in the first and fourth innings
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
off pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Ken Holtzman
Ken Holtzman
Kenneth Dale Holtzman is a left-handed former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics...
of the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
.
Following the 1969 season, Sipin returned to the minor leagues. He played the next two seasons with the Padres' top farm team, for the Salt Lake City Bees and for the Hawaii Islanders
Hawaii Islanders
The Hawaii Islanders were a AAA minor league baseball team, based in Honolulu, Hawaii, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1961 through 1987. The Islanders were originally an affiliate of the Kansas City Athletics. They played their home games at Honolulu Stadium, Honolulu's Aloha Stadium...
. Each year, he hit over .300 with exactly 20 home runs. However, he never got another shot at the major leagues.
Japanese League career
Sipin signed with the Taiyo Whales (current Yokohama BayStarsYokohama BayStars
The are a professional baseball team in the Japanese Central League. Home field is the Yokohama Stadium, located in central Yokohama. The clubhouse is located near the stadium....
) in 1972, and instantly became one of the best second basemen in Japanese baseball during the 1970s. He played his best season in 1975, hitting 34 home runs and 82 RBIs, with a .295 batting average. He also won the Japanese golden glove award at second base in 1972 and 1973.
He was given to the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
in 1978, and hit over .300 each of his full seasons with the Giants, often playing in the outfield instead of second base. He retired in 1980, after missing half of the season with an injury.
Sipin gained incredible popularity in Japan, and his huge mat of hair and beard gave him the nickname, Lion Maru (after the character in the children's television series Kaiketsu Lion-Maru
Kaiketsu Lion-Maru
, The Vigilant Lion Knight , was a Japanese tokusatsu television series in the Lion-Maru franchise that aired in 1972-1973, produced by P Productions and set during Japan's Sengoku period .- Plot :During the late 16th century, a trio of ninja orphans are wandering Japan and saving people from evil...
). He was highly entertaining on and off the field, making entrances with extravagant outfits, or fielding ground balls with his batting helmet on. He drastically changed his appearance when he joined the Yomiuri Giants, shaving off his long hair and beard to adopt a gentleman-like look (similarly, Michihiro Ogasawara
Michihiro Ogasawara
Michihiro Ogasawara is a Japanese professional baseball player. He currently plays first base for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Central League . He played with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters from to .-Career:Ogasawara is one of the most consistent hitters in Japanese baseball...
shaved off his trademark beard when he joined the Giants, though this was probably more in imitation of Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon
Johnny David Damon is an American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. From 2000–2008, he was third among active players in runs and seventh in hits and stolen bases . He is currently second among active leaders in triples , five behind Carl Crawford...
and the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
).
Though Sipin changed his look when he joined the Giants, his wild personality did not change at all, especially because Clete Boyer
Clete Boyer
Cletis Leroy "Clete" Boyer was a Major League Baseball player.A third baseman who also played shortstop and second base occasionally, Boyer played for the Kansas City Athletics , New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves...
, his coach and mentor on the Taiyo Whales, was no longer there to hold him back. In 1978, he charged at the mound after being hit by a pitch two times during the season, and was ejected both times after beating up the opposing pitcher. He had been ejected once with the Whales, but only for kicking sand onto the home plate after a disputed call.