Sid Peterson

Sidney Herbert Peterson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.

• Debut May 4, 1943
• Final Game May 12, 1943
• Born January 31, 1918 in Havelock, ND USA
• Died August 29, 2001 in Wichita Falls, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Right-hander Sid Peterson was signed as an amateur free agent by the St. Louis Browns before the 1940 season. Sid spent ten years (1940-1950) pitching in professional baseball.

Peterson's career started with a bang in 1940 when he went 12-9 for the Youngstown Browns of the class C Middle Atlantic League. He followed that with a 15-6 record for the Springfield Browns of the class B Three-I League in 1941, and in '42 he was still a double-digit winner with a 17-15 run with the San Antonio Missions of the Texas League.

Sid was primed and ready for his 1943 debut with the St. Louis Browns. He was on the mound for his debut on May 4 and between that date and May 12, nine days, Sid appeared in three games, pitched in ten innings, won two games and had a 2.70 ERA.

The next thing that is known, for whatever the reason, especially for a team that was going to finish sixth in the 1943 American League with a 72-80 record, Sid was sent to the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association where he finished out the year with an 8-9 record and a 3.73 ERA.

For reasons unknown, Peterson did not pitch in professional baseball in 1944. He would have six seasons of pitching left and none of it would be in the major leagues. Still in the Browns organization he went 2-5 for Toledo in 1945, appearing in 13 games. The Browns moved him to the Chicago White Sox organization in 1946 in an unknown transaction and he responded by going 9-15 for the Little Rock Travelers of the Southern Association.

The White Sox organization sent him back to the Browns in 1947 and he spent the season with the San Antonio club, where he went 2-5 in 74 innings. Things were looking a little tough for Peterson but he was sent to the Wichita Falls Spudders of the Big State League, and he feasted on the weaker competition. He went 19-11 in 1948 and revved it up to a 20-8 record in 1949 that tied for the league lead in victories and helped his team to the league pennant.

Peterson finished out his professional baseball career in 1950 at 32 years of age with 10 more wins for the Spudders. This gave Sid a minor league career record of 114-95 and a 3.61 ERA while appearing in 304 outings and pitching 1,773 innings. After baseball, Sid made his home in Wichita Falls, TX where he worked and lived until his death on August 29, 2001. Sidney Herbert Peterson lived to be 83 years of age.

Related Sites

• Sid Peterson at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors page