Paul Sentell

Leopold Theodore Sentell

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 176 lb.

• Debut April 12, 1906
• Final Game April 27, 1907
• Born August 27, 1879 in New Orleans, LA USA
• Died April 27, 1923 in Cincinnati, OH USA

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Biographical Information

Leopold Theodore Sentell is remembered as Paul Sentell, a player who appeared in the majors in 1906 and 1907. He had almost all of his at-bats in 1906 with the Philadelphia Phillies, and played mostly third and second base. Although his .229 batting average doesn't seem like much, the team hit only .241, and neither the regular second baseman (Kid Gleason) nor the regular third baseman (Ernie Courtney) hit over .236. However, they had better fielding percentages than Sentell.

An article in the New York Times, dated March 18, 1917, states that "an ancient feud" between Sentell and John McGraw was rekindled during a St. Patrick's Day exhibition game between the New York Giants and the Galveston team, on which Sentell was player-manager. It was caused by an umpire's decision and reversal that was disputed. The Galveston crowd then threatened the Giants "with utter destruction", at which point the Galveston team's owner told Sentell to back down when McGraw threatened his team would not continue to play.

Sentell played first base and batted seventh in that game, going 2-for-5 against Jim Middleton. The Giants won the game.

After his playing career, he became an umpire, working a full season in the National League in 1922 and a few games in April of 1923 before his untimely death.

Related Sites

• Paul Sentell at the SABR Bio Project
• Paul Sentell at Retrosheet.org