Sport: Baseball
Born: September 23, 1913
Died: June 1, 2003
Town: South River, New Jersey
Peter Sivess was born September 23, 1913 in South River, NJ. One of six children of Lithuanian immigrants, Pete spoke Russian fluently and was a standout student at South River High School and the star of the baseball and basketball teams. He played end for the football varsity alongside future Hall of Famer Alex Wojciechowicz. Pete averaged more than a strikeout and inning and was named All-State in 1932. He also pitches semipro ball.
Pete earned a scholarship to Dickinson College in central Pennsylvania, where he earned a philosophy degree and lettered in three team sports, and for the track squad. His live fastball and roundhouse curve enabled him to set an NCAA career record with 243 strikeouts. His eccentric behavior and sharp intellect earned him the nickname The Mad Russian. By the time he graduated in 1936, he had already been signed by the Philadelphia Phillies. Pete was added to the team’s roster as soon as he was eligible.
Pete went 3–4 as a rookie for the last-place Phillies. During the off-season, he worked as a stevedore back in South River and injured his shoulder. Although he eventually recovered, he was never the same pitcher again. He played for the Phillies in 1937 and 1938, but spent most of those seasons in the minors for the Baltimore Orioles. In 1939, he signed with the Newark Bears. He pitched well for both clubs, but was out of organized baseball by the start of World War II.
Pete worked for Grumman Aircraft in the early years of the war and pitched for the factory team. As the Allied invasion of Europe neared, he joined the military and became an advisor to the Russian Navy. When the war ended Pete was in Alaska preparing for the invasion of the Japanese home islands.
Pete continued his military career as an attaché in Romania and Czechoslovakia, and then joined the CIA in 1948. Three years later he was placed in charge of the program for Eastern Bloc defectors, which he ran for two decades. He retired from the agency at age 59 and was inducted into the Dickinson Hall of Fame in 1973. Pete passed away in North Carolina in 2003.