Mace Brown
| Mace Brown | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Pitcher | |
| Born: May 21, 1909 North English, Iowa |
|
| Died: March 24, 2002 (aged 92) Greensboro, North Carolina |
|
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| May 21, 1935 for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 10, 1946 for the Boston Red Sox | |
| Career statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 76-57 |
| Earned run average | 3.46 |
| Strikeouts | 435 |
| Saves | 48 |
| Teams | |
|
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
Mace Stanley Brown (May 21, 1909 – March 24, 2002) was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1935 through 1946, he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Boston Red Sox. Brown posted a 76–57 record with a 3.46 ERA and 44 saves in 387 appearances (55 as a starter).
Brown was also a javelin thrower who attended the University of Iowa on a track scholarship. He started his professional baseball career after college. In 1934, he won 19 games for the Tulsa Oilers of the Texas League and was purchased by the Pirates in November.
Brown was one of the first full-time relief pitchers in major league history. In 1938, he led the Pirates with 15 wins (all in relief), led the National League with 51 games pitched, and became the first reliever to play the All-Star Game. In 1943, with the Red Sox, he also led the American League in games pitched with 49.
However, he is also known for giving up the Homer in the Gloamin', the home run that cost the Pirates their lead in the 1938 National League pennant race. On September 28, 1938, the Pirates were playing the Chicago Cubs, who trailed the Pirates by just one-half game in the league standings. Brown entered the game with the teams tied 5–5 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Darkness was falling fast, and the Cubs' Wrigley Field had no lights, meaning the game could end in a tie. But Gabby Hartnett soon smacked a pitch from Brown over the left-center field wall, giving the Cubs the victory and propelling them into first place. The Pirates proceeded to lose four of their final five games, securing the Cubs' hold on the pennant.
Brown missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons while serving as Lieutenant junior grade in the United States Navy during World War II.[1]
Following his playing career, Brown served as a coach and scout for the Red Sox organization from 1947[2] through 1989.
Brown died in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the age of 92.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Mace Brown". Baseball in Wartime. Archived from the original on 2008-04-08. http://web.archive.org/web/20080408154152/http://www.garybed.co.uk/player_biographies/brown_mace.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
- ^ Spink, J.G. Taylor, with Lanigan, Ernest, Rickart, Paul A., and Kachline, Clifford, Baseball Guide and Record Book 1947. St. Louis: Charles C. Spink and Son, 1947, page 60
[edit] External links
- Baseball Almanac
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
| Preceded by Bob Turley |
Boston Red Sox Pitching Coach 1965 |
Succeeded by Sal Maglie |
- 1909 births
- 2002 deaths
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- National League All-Stars
- Boston Red Sox players
- Brooklyn Dodgers players
- Pittsburgh Pirates players
- Shawnee Robins players
- Greensboro Patriots players
- St. Joseph Saints players
- Durham Bulls players
- Des Moines Demons players
- Kansas City Blues (baseball) players
- Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players
- Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players
- Major League Baseball coaches
- Major League Baseball pitching coaches
- Boston Red Sox coaches
- Boston Red Sox scouts
- Baseball players from Iowa
- University of Iowa alumni
- Iowa Hawkeyes baseball players
- United States Navy officers
- American military personnel of World War II
