Mordecai Brown

Mordecai Brown
Brown in 1904
Pitcher/Manager
Born:(1876-10-19)October 19, 1876 Nyesville, Indiana,U.S.
Died:February 14, 1948(1948-02-14)(aged 71) Terre Haute, Indiana,U.S.
Batted:Switch Threw:Right
MLB debut
April 19, 1903, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
September 4, 1916, for the Chicago Cubs
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	239–130
Earned run average	2.06
Strikeouts	1,375
Teams
As player St. Louis Cardinals(1903) Chicago Cubs(1904–1912) Cincinnati Reds(1913) St. Louis Terriers(1914) Brooklyn Tip-Tops(1914) Chicago Whales(1915) Chicago Cubs(1916) As manager St. Louis Terriers(1914)
Career highlights and awards
2×World Serieschampion (1907,1908) NL wins leader(1909) MLB ERA leader(1906) Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1949
Election method	Old-Timers Committee

Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown(October 19, 1876 – February 14, 1948), nicknamed "Three Finger Brown"or"Miner",was an AmericanMajor League Baseballpitcherandmanagerduring the first two decades of the 20th century (known as the "dead-ball era"). Due to a farm-machinery accident in his youth (April 17, 1888), Brown lost parts of two fingers on his right hand,and in the process gained a colorful nickname. He turned this handicap into an advantage by learning how to grip a baseball in a way that resulted in an exceptionalcurveball(orknuckle curve), which broke radically before reaching the plate. With this technique he became one of the elite pitchers of his era.

Brown was elected to theBaseball Hall of Famein 1949.

Early life

Brown was born inNyesville, Indiana,to Jane and Peter Brown.He was also known as "Miner", having worked in western Indiana coal mines for a while before beginning his professional baseball career. Nicknames like "Miner" (or misspelled as "Minor") and "Three Finger" (or sometimes "Three-Fingered" ) were headline writers' inventions. To fans and friends he was probably best known as "Brownie". To his relatives and close friends, he was also known as "Mort". His three-part given name came from the names of his uncle, his father, and theUnited States Centennialyear of his birth, respectively.

Brown's pitching (or "twirling" ) hand

According to his biography, he had two separate injuries to his right hand. The first and more famous trauma came when he was feeding material into the farm's feed chopper. He slipped and his hand was mangled by the knives, severing much of hisindex fingerand damaging the others. A doctor repaired the rest of his hand as best he could. While it was still healing, the injury was further aggravated by a fall he took, which broke several finger bones. They were not reset properly, especially the middle finger (see photo).

He learned to pitch, as many children did, by aiming rocks atknot-holeson the barn wall and other wooden surfaces. Over time, with constant practice, he developed great control. As a "bonus", the manner in which he had to grip the ball (see photo) resulted in an unusual amount of spin. This allowed him to throw an effectivecurve ball(orknuckle curve), and a deceptive fast ball andchange-up.The extra topspin made it difficult for batters to connect solidly. In short, he "threw ground balls" and was exceptionally effective.

Career

Brown with theChicago Cubsin 1909 (left) and 1916 (right)

Brown in 1911

Brown was a third baseman in semipro baseball in 1898 when his team's pitcher failed to appear for a game and Brown was put in to pitch. Players in the league quickly noticed the spin and movement created by Brown's unusual grip. Fred Massey, Brown's great-nephew, said, "It didn't only curve, it curved and dropped at the same time", Massey said. "It made it extremely hard to hit and if you did hit it, you hit it into the ground [because you] couldn't get under it."After a spectacular minor league career commencing inTerre Hauteof theThree-I Leaguein 1901, Brown came to the majors rather late, at age 26, in 1903, and lasted until 1916 when he was close to 40.

Brown's most productive period was when he played for theChicago Cubsfrom 1904 through 1912. During this stretch, he won 20 or more games six times and was part of twoWorld Serieschampionships.New York GiantsmanagerJohn McGrawregarded his ownChristy Mathewsonand Brown as the two best pitchers in the National League. In fact, Brown defeated Mathewson in competition as often as not, most significantly in the final regular season game of the1908season. Brown had a career 13–11 edge on Mathewson, with one no-decision in their 25 pitching matchups.

Brown's most important single game effort was the pennant-deciding contest between the Cubs and the New York Giants on October 8, 1908, at New York. With Mathewson starting for the Giants, Cubs starterJack Pfiestergot off to a weak start and was quickly relieved by Brown, who held the Giants in check the rest of the way as the Cubs prevailed 4–2, to win the pennant. The Cubs then went on to win their second consecutive World Series championship, their last until2016,a span of 108 years.

In late 1909, Brown was on a team that played some games in Cuba. He planned to spend the winter there, but returned home when he caught a mysterious sickness.Brown saw limited action in 1912 and was released by the Cubs in October, a week before he turned 36. Soon after, he consulted a physician about a minor illness. Examining Brown's knee, the physician advised Brown to retire from baseball because he risked losing the use of his leg.However, Brown continued to play, signing with theLouisville Colonels,who traded him to theCincinnati Redsfor the 1913 season.

After the 1913 season, Brown jumped to theFederal League,signing his contract on the same day asJoe Tinker.While Tinker went to theChicago Whales,Brown was the player-manager for theSt. Louis Terriersin 1914.Brown was dismissed as manager in August, then finished the season with theBrooklyn Tip-Tops,and was rumored to retire again in October 1914.He stayed in the league and played for the Chicago Whales in 1915. He returned to the Cubs for his final season in 1916.Brown and Mathewson wrapped their respective careers by squaring off on September 4, 1916, in the second game of aLabor Daydoubleheader.

A promotional poster advertising the Sept. 4, 1916 matchup between Mordecai Brown and Christy Mathewson

The game was billed as the final meeting between the two old baseball warriors, and would turn out to be the final game in each of their careers. The game was a high-scoring one, the two teams combining for 33 hits. But with both teams well back in the pennant race, the two men pitched the entire game. Mathewson's Reds prevailed 10–8 over Brown's Cubs, as the Cubs' ninth-inning rally fell short.

Brown finished his major league career with a 239–130 record, 1375strikeouts,and a 2.06ERA,the third best ERA in Major League Baseball history amongst players inducted into the Hall of Fame, afterEd WalshandAddie Joss.His 2.06 ERA is the best in MLB history for any pitcher with more than 200 wins. Brown was aswitch-hitter,which was and is unusual for a pitcher. He took some pride in his hitting, and had a fair batting average for a pitcher, compiling a career.206batting average(235-for-1143) with 93runs,2home runsand 73RBI.

Later life and legacy

Following his retirement from the majors, he returned to his home in Terre Haute, where he continued to pitch in the minor leagues and in exhibition games for more than a decade, as well as coaching and managing. According to his biography, in an exhibition game against the famousHouse of Davidtouring team in 1928, at the age of 51, he pitched three innings as a favor to the local team, and struck out all nine batters he faced.

From 1920 to 1945, Brown ran afilling stationin Terre Haute that also served as a town gathering place and an unofficial museum. He was also a frequent guest at Old-Timers' games in Chicago. In his later years, Brown was plagued by diabetes and then by the effects of a stroke. He died in 1948 of diabetic complications.He was posthumously elected to theBaseball Hall of Famethe following year.

F. Scott Fitzgerald refers to "Three-finger Brown" in his first novel,This Side of Paradise(1920).The television seriesThe Simpsonsmade reference to Brown in "Homer at the Bat",whenMr. Burnslists three ringers he wants for his company's softball team:Honus Wagner,Cap Anson,and Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown.Smithershas to point out that they are not only retired, but long-dead. He was referenced again by Mr. Burns in the episode "The Last Traction Hero".

In1999,he was named as a finalist to theMajor League Baseball All-Century Team.

Between Brown andAntonio Alfonseca,the Cubs have featured both a "three-fingered" pitcher and a six-fingered pitcher on their all-time roster (Brown technically had four, including the thumb).

See also

• List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders
• List of Major League Baseball annual ERA leaders
• List of Major League Baseball annual saves leaders
• List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders
• List of Major League Baseball player-managers
• Major League Baseball titles leaders

Further reading

• Cindy Thomson & Scott Brown (2006).Three Finger.Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.ISBN0-8032-4448-7.
• The Editors ofTotal Baseball(2000)."Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia".Sports Illustrated.pp. 134–135.ISBN1-892129-34-5.{{cite magazine}}:|author=has generic name (help)

External links

• Mordecai Brownat theBaseball Hall of Fame
• Career statistics and player information fromBaseball Reference,orFangraphs,orBaseball Reference (Minors)
• Mordecai Brown managerial career statisticsatBaseball-Reference
• Mordecai BrownatFind a Grave
• Mordecai Brown Official Website