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February 14
The Ballard of Three Fingers Brown February 14
As a boy, Mordecai Brown caught his hand in a feed cutter and lost the top joint of his index finger and the use of his little finger. When his injured hand was still in a cast, he broke the other two fingers, which became permanently disfigured. With his crippled hand, Brown threw a natural sinker ball. He led the Cubs pitching staff that won four pennants in five years and won two World Series titles, including an MLB record 116 victories in 1906.
Brown was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on February 14, 1949 two years after he passed away.
Matty vs Brown
In an era of low scoring games, Brown was a staff ace who often faced the other team's best arm. Consequently, Brown often faced the Giants' Christy Mathewson, Pittsburgh's Babe Adams, Philadelphia's Pete Alexander, Brooklyn's Nap Rucker and the Braves' Vic Willis. A fantastic study would be to research the head-to-head record of these great pitching legends. Mathewson and Brown faced each other 25 times in their careers, "Three-Finger" posting a 13-10 record, Matty going 11-13. Here are some of their memorable moments:
On June 13, 1905, Brown carried a two-hitter into the ninth inning against Matty, only to allow four straight hits and lose 1-0. Mathewson hurled a no-hitter for the win.
In July of that same season, Brown defeated Matty and began a streak of eight straight wins over the Giants' legend. On July 17, 1908, Matty lost 1-0 to Brown when Cubs' shortstop Joe Tinker hit an inside-the-park homer in the fifth inning.
In one of the most bizarre games ever played, Brown and Matty hook up on September 23, 1908, in the Polo Grounds. With the score locked 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Giants' shortstop Al Bridwell hit an RBI_single, apparently winning the game. But the runner on first, Fred Merkle, failed to touch second base, and Cubs' second baseman Johnny Evers alertly tagged the bag, nullifying the run. After haggling and protests, the game was declared a tie. At the end of the season, it is replayed, and the Cubs win to take the pennant. Brown defeated Mathewson in the rematch.
On July 15, 1913, Mathewson defeated Brown (now with the Reds) 4-2 and ran his streak of innings without a walk to 61.
In 1916, their best years behind them, Brown (back with the Cubs) and Mathewson agreed to face each other in the second game of the Labor Day doubleheader. The game was to be the final appearance for either man in a big league uniform and it was designed as a publicity stunt. Mathewson, now managing the Reds, got the win in a 10-8 contest. Brown lost to finish 13-10 against the great pitcher.
Listen the the ballet of Three Fingers Brown on the Podcast
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Trivia:
Jim Fregosi by 1971 was a 6 time All Star, finished in the top 10 MVP voting in 1967, and won a Gold Glove, he could be considered the best SS of the 60s, yet the California Angels traded him for four players including a strong armed prospect. Name the prospect.
Hint: The answer is below
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February 14, 1934, the Cleveland Indians sign former Washington Senators star Sam Rice to a contract for the upcoming season. The future Hall of Fame outfielder will bat .293 in 335 at-bats for the Indians, but will fall 13 hits shy of the 3,000 mark before retiring. Rice will win election to the Hall of Fame in 1963.
February 14, 1948, Hall of Fame pitcher Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown dies at the age of 71. Brown’s nickname “three fingers” came from him losing his index finger in a childhood farm accident. Brown won 239 games over a 14-year career. He went 127-44 from 1906 – 1910, with an astonishing 1.42 ERA. He pitched in 4 world series for the cubs, we has 4-0 and didn’t give up a run in the two series the Cubs won, and he went 2-4 with an era over 4 and a half.
February 14 , 1984 — Houston signs infielder Enos Cabell, back from Detroit, as a free agent. A popular Astro during his six seasons (1975-1980) which he spent mostly as a third baseman, Cabell becomes the regular first baseman and bats .310 with eight homers.
February 14 2001 — The Ford C. Frick Award, named in memory of the former commissioner who also was a broadcaster, will be given to Florida Marlins radio announcer Felo Ramirez during Hall of Fame induction ceremonies this summer. Ramirez, who began his 56-year career broadcasting games in Cuba, has been in the Miami broadcast booth since the team’s inaugural season in 1993.
Passed away on, February 14, 2014, A part of major league baseball for more than 40 years as a player and manager, Jim Fregosi was the first star of the Angels. He came up with the expansion team in 1961, making the All-Star team six times and winning a Gold Glove at shortstop for the Halos. In December of 1971 he was traded to the Mets in the greatest deal in Angels' history, which brought Nolan Ryan to California. He never played regularly again, suffering through several injuries and poor performances in his 30s. Later, he returned to the Angels as their manager, leading them to their first post-season appearance, in 1979. He managed the Phillies for six seasons in the 1990s, guiding them to the World Series in the only season he had a winning record. In 2000, with the Blue Jays, he won the 1,000 game of his managerial career.
Quote of the day:
“Brown is my idea of the almost perfect pitcher… It will usually be found at the end of a season, that he has taken part in more key games than any other pitcher in baseball.”
“A catchers efficiency as a thrower depends largely on the pitcher’s ability to have good enough control of the ball, to be able to pitch out when necessary. Brown helps a catcher by the way he watches the bases, not permitting the runners to take any lead on him.”
Hall of Famer - Christy Mathewson on Three Fingers Brown
MILESTONES
Birthday Boys!
Oscar Judd, Mel Allen and Len Gabrielson
Passings.
Don Gullett, Jim Fregosi and Mordecai Brown
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Trivia Answer: Nolan Ryan was traded along with Frank Estrada, Don Rose and Leroy Stanton to the California Angels for Jim Fregosi. Ryan at the time was 29-38 with a WHIP near 1.4 and era at 3.50. He had walked 344 batters in 510 innings pitched. He turned it around in 1972, going 19016 with a 2.28 ERA.
