Researching Frank Sullivan

Sullivan amassed a record of 114–86 at Bentley University in seven seasons. Prior to his time at Bentley, he held assistant coaching roles at Villanova, Lehigh and Seton Hall. He played college basketball at Westfield State University.

Sullivan was one of the tallest pitchers of his time, standing tall. After the season, the Red Sox traded him to the Phillies for another towering right-hander, -tall Gene Conley. Coincidentally, Conley had been the winning pitcher and Sullivan the loser of the 1955 All-Star Game. A walk-off home run by Stan Musial on the first pitch from Sullivan in the bottom of the 12th inning brought the midsummer classic to an abrupt end. Sullivan had entered the game with two men out in the eighth and had held the National League (NL) scoreless for 3 innings prior to Musial’s clout.

In 1955, Sullivan topped the AL with 260 innings pitched and tied with Whitey Ford for the most wins (18). For his career, he posted a 97–100 win–loss record, with a 3.60 earned run average (ERA), in 351 pitching appearances. He dropped 18 of his 21 National League decisions as a member of the Phillies, but went 94–82 in the American League. Overall, Sullivan permitted 1,702 hits and 559 bases on balls in 1,732 MLB innings pitched. He struck out 959.

In September 2008, Sullivan published a memoir entitled, Life Is More Than 9 Innings.

He was one of the subjects of the 1957 Norman Rockwell painting The Rookie.

Sullivan died in Lihue, Hawaii, from pneumonia on January 19, 2016 at the age of 85.

Sullivan was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, to Dennis and Catherine (Shea) Sullivan. and graduated from Cornell University in 1914. He worked for The Saratogian newspaper until he was drafted in 1917. Upon his discharge, Sullivan moved to New York City and worked for several papers as a reporter and feature writer.

Sullivan wrote his first article for The New Yorker in 1925, the year it was founded. His most celebrated character, Mr. Arbuthnot, created in 1934, made his debut in the issue of August 31, 1935 in "The Cliche Expert Takes the Stand". In one story Mr. Arbuthnot was asked what he did for exercise, and he replied, "I keep the wolf from the door, let the cat out of the bag, take the bull by the horns, count my chickens before they are hatched, and see that the horse isn't put behind the cart or stolen before I lock the barn door".

The last Mr. Arbuthnot story, "The Cliche Expert Testifies On the Campaign", appeared in The New Yorker on September 13, 1952.

According to The Encyclopedia of American Humorists, the play Arsenic and Old Lace was given its title when the producers adapted the title of a collection of humor pieces by Sullivan called Broccoli and Old Lace.

Sullivan never married. He returned to Saratoga Springs in the 1960s and lived there until his death in 1976.

Sullivan was a peripheral member of the famous Algonquin Round Table.

"Frank Sullivan Place", formerly High Street, is named for him in Saratoga Springs, New York. It forms the border of the Saratoga Racecourse property near the track clubhouse.

He is credited with the line, "This is either a forgery or a damned clever original!".