James Luther “Luke” Sewell (January 5, 1901 - May 14, 1987) played six seasons longer than his Hall of Fame brother, Joe Sewell. Luke was a college infielder who was immediately converted into a catcher once he made the professional ranks. After signing with the Cleveland Indians, he was sent to the Columbus Senators to learn the new position. It took a mere 17 minor league games before he was called up for good. Sewell played for the Indians (1921-1932, 1939) with his brother Joe, the Washington Senators (1933-1934), the Chicago White Sox (1935-1938) and the St. Louis Browns (1942) as player/manager. Luke was a decent hitter, but enjoyed much more success behind the plate, leading the American League four times in assists and base runners caught stealing while posting a career .978 fielding percentage. He was a member of the 1933 American League pennant winning Senators team, but lost the World Series to the New York Giants in five games. Luke Sewell ended his playing career with a .259 batting average, 1,393 hits including 272 doubles, 653 runs and 696 RBI. After ending his playing days, Sewell managed the Browns as player/manager, eventually being promoted to full-time manager (1941-1946) and captured the 1944 AL pennant but lost the World Series to the cross-town St. Louis Cardinals. He also managed the Red (1949-1952) and compiled a 606-644 managerial record in 1,259 games.
