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In his first eight and one half major league seasons, Sallee toiled for Cardinal teams that only once finished in the first division (1914). Yet the lean, 6'3" Slim won consistently and, after his rookie season, never recorded an ERA higher than 2.97 for St. Louis. He won 18 games in both 1913 and 1914, and his six saves in both 1912 and 1914 were league highs. Sold to the Giants in July 1916, Sallee helped pitch New York to the 1917 NL pennant by going 18-7 with a league-high four saves. After he was picked up on waivers in March 1919, his 21-7 record led the 1919 World Champion Reds' staff. Gifted with fantastic control at his best, the junkballer walked only 20 batters in 227.2 innings that season and is the only 20-game winner for a championship team not to top 20 walks. He posted a complete-game victory and a loss in the World Series against the Chicago Black Sox. He returned to the Giants in September 1920 (on waivers again) and, in 1921, for the third time in his career, played for a pennant-winner the season after changing teams. Sallee was known to quit the field when practice sessions grew tiresome, repairing to a nearby bar; his drinking led teams to give up on him despite his obvious talent.
Jim Langford
Author of The Cub Fan's Book of Days: A Guide to Every Year, a book about the Chicago Cubs and The Cubs Fan's Little Book of Wisdom: 101 Truths...Learned the Hard Way
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