Seerey, just 5’10” but 200 lbs, hit the ball a long way, but he also led AL batters in strikeouts in all four of his seasons as a regular (1944-46 and 1948). Cleveland manager Lou Boudreau exercised great patience with the young slugger in 1946, when Seerey hit a career-high 26 HR, but benched him in 1947. On June 2, 1948, the White Sox sent Bob Kennedy to Cleveland in a much-criticized trade for Seerey and pitcher Al Gettel. That July 18, Seerey became the fifth ML player to hit four homers in a game, blasting two mammoth shots off Philadelphia’s Carl Scheib, and one each off Bob Savage and Lou Brissie in an 11-inning, 12-11 Chicago victory. His 16 total bases in the game tied an AL record. But he struck out 102 times in just 363 at-bats that season, and was released early in 1949. Kennedy’s career lasted nine more years.
