{{Short description|American baseball player (1891–1967)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Vic Saier |image=Vic Saier.jpg |caption=Saier in 1914 |position=First baseman |birth_date={{birth date|1891|5|4}} |birth_place=Lansing, Michigan, U.S. |death_date={{death date and age|1967|5|14|1891|5|4}} |death_place=East Lansing, Michigan, U.S. |bats=Left |throws=Right |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=May 3 |debutyear=1911 |debutteam=Chicago Cubs |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=August 5 |finalyear=1919 |finalteam=Pittsburgh Pirates |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Batting average |stat1value=.263 |stat2label=Home runs |stat2value=55 |stat3label=Runs batted in |stat3value=396 |teams= *Chicago Cubs ({{Baseball year|1911}}–{{Baseball year|1917}}) *Pittsburgh Pirates ({{Baseball year|1919}}) }} '''Victor Sylvester Saier''' (May 4, 1891 – May 14, 1967) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1919. He played for the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Saier stood at {{height|ft=5|in=11}} and weighed 185 lbs.<ref name="statistics">[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/saiervi01.shtml "Vic Saier Statistics and History"]. ''baseball-reference.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-27.</ref>
==Career== Vic Saier was born in Lansing, Michigan, and attended St. Mary's High School.<ref name="statistics"/> He started his professional baseball career in 1910. In his first season, with the Lansing Senators, he led the Southern Michigan League in hits, doubles, and total bases,<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/leader.cgi?type=bat&id=14094 "1910 Southern Michigan League Batting Leaders"]. ''baseball-reference.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-27.</ref> and he was purchased by the Chicago Cubs for $1,500.<ref name="statistics"/>
Saier joined the Cubs in 1911. During his rookie season, starting first baseman, manager, and future Hall of Famer Frank Chance got injured, and Saier replaced him.<ref name="SABR">Gordon, Peter. [http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=919&pid=12402 "Vic Saier"]. ''bioproj.sabr.org''. Retrieved 2010-12-27.</ref> He batted .259 in 86 games.<ref name="statistics"/> The next season, he raised his average to .288 in his first season as an MLB starter; in 1913, he hit his peak, setting career-highs in nearly every offensive category while leading the National League in triples, with 21.<ref name="statistics"/>
In July 1915, Saier was leading the league in runs batted in when he suffered a leg injury that kept him out of the lineup for three weeks.<ref name="SABR"/> He continued to put up decent numbers, but then he injured his leg again early in 1917 that sidelined him for almost the entire year.<ref>[https://baseballbiography.com/vic-saier-1891 "Vic Saier Chronology"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020025741/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Vic_Saier_1891&page=chronology |date=October 20, 2012 }}. ''baseballlibrary.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-27.</ref> Saier was then purchased by the Pirates before 1919. After batting just .223 in 58 games that season, he was released.<ref name="SABR"/>
In 865 games over eight seasons, Saier posted a .263 batting average (775-for-2948) with 455 runs, 143 doubles, 61 triples, 55 home runs, 396 RBIs, 121 stolen bases, 378 bases on balls, .351 on-base percentage and .409 slugging percentage. Defensively, he recorded a .986 fielding percentage playing every inning of his career at first base.<ref name="statistics" />
Saier was married and had two daughters and a son. He died in East Lansing, Michigan, at the age of 76.<ref name="SABR"/>
==See also== *List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{commonscat}} {{baseballstats |br=s/saiervi01 |fangraphs=1011372 |brm=saier-001vic}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saier, Vic}} Category:1891 births Category:1967 deaths Category:Major League Baseball first basemen Category:Chicago Cubs players Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players Category:Lansing Senators players Category:Baseball players from Lansing, Michigan Category:20th-century American sportsmen