Cohen, Syd

Sydney Harry Cohen

Brother of New York Giants second baseman Andy Cohen, Syd had a three-year major league career with the Washington Senators; but he is perhaps best known for his bizarre stint pitching for Nogales in the Mexican League masquerading as hometown hero "Pablo Garcia", a role he was able to enact because of his olive skin and the college-educated Syd's ability to speak fluent Spanish. Some twenty years later, when he returned to Mexico -- as Syd Cohen -- to manage Juarez to their first league championship, many of the local citizens continued to refer to him by his "nickname" of Pablo!

Birth and Death Dates:
b. May 7, 1906 - d. April 9, 1988

Career Highlights:
In September 1934, Cohen was called up by the Washington Senators and appeared in 3 games that season, batting a sturdy .273. His biggest moment of the season was when he struck out Babe Ruth -- he was the last American League pitcher to do so. After the season, he returned to the minors for the 1935 campaign, but pitched for the Senators in 1936 and 1937, mostly as a reliever. In his last year in the major leagues, he had an ERA of 3.11. Some of Syd's teammates on the Senators included fellow Jewish ballplayers Buddy Myer, Moe Berg, and Fred Sington.

Career Dates:
Syd played for the Washington Senators, 1934 and 1936-37.

Position:
Pitcher

Physical description:
5'11", 180 pounds
Threw left, batted both

Career Statistics:
Wins: 3
Losses: 7
Winning pct.: .300

ERA: 4.54

Games: 55
Games Started: 3
Complete Games: 2

Innings Pitched: 109
Hits Allowed: 133
Bases-on-Balls: 37
Strike Outs: 49

Shut-outs: 0

Relief Pitching
Wins: 2
Losses: 5
Saves: 5

Batting
At-bats: 33
Hits: 5
Home Runs: 0

Batting Average: .152

Fielding Statistics
Put-outs: 11
Assists: 41
Errors: 1
Double Plays: 3

Total Chances per Game: 0.9
Fielding avg: .981

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