Archive for the ‘ Dailies ’ Category

May 19 – Happy Birthday Gil McDougald

bd6e9fb2-765d-41c5-a3fb-3ff54c36ef4aThe Yankee teams of the 1950s were among the best in the elite franchise’s illustrious history. Managed by Casey Stengel, they won eight of the decade’s ten possible Pennants and six World Championships. One of the key members of those great teams was a Scottish-American infielder, born in San Francisco by the name of Gil McDougald. Signed by the Yankees out of the University of San Francisco in 1948, McDougald tore up Minor League pitching, averaging .340 during his three-year climb through the Yankee farm system. He was brought up to the Bronx in 1951 along with a much more heralded Yankee rookie named Mantle. It was McDougald who won that season’s Rookie of the Year award with a .306 average. In that year’s World Series against the cross-town Giants, McDougald became the first rookie to hit a grand slam home run in Fall Classic history.

Stengel loved McDougald’s defensive versatility and took full advantage of it. During his career in the Bronx, the infielder played 599 games at second, 508 at the hot corner and another 284 at shortstop and was selected as an All Star at all three positions. He had a lifetime batting average of .276 and hit 112 regular season and seven World Series home runs.

Two line drives had tremendous impact upon McDougald’s career. The first came off the bat of Yankee teammate, Bob Cerv during batting practice before a game in August of 1955. McDougald was standing near second base and the ball struck him in the left ear. Even though no one realized it at the time, the resulting damage caused a gradual hearing loss that resulted in McDougald being almost completely deaf early on in his retirement years. In 1957, another line drive, this one off McDougald’s bat, hit Cleveland Indian pitching sensation, Herb Score square in the face. Score was never again the same pitcher and McDougald later admitted that the incident impacted his play as well.

After the Yankees suffered their heartbreaking loss to the Pirates in the 1960 World Series, the front office informed Gil that he would not be protected in the upcoming AL expansion draft. McDougald decided to call it quits at that time. He died in November of 2010, at the age of 82.

Gil shares his May 19th birthday with this one-time Yankee catcher and this former Yankee starting pitcher.

Year Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
1951 NYY 131 473 402 72 123 23 4 14 63 14 56 54 .306 .396 .488 .884
1952 NYY 152 633 555 65 146 16 5 11 78 6 57 73 .263 .336 .369 .705
1953 NYY 141 614 541 82 154 27 7 10 83 3 60 65 .285 .361 .416 .777
1954 NYY 126 474 394 66 102 22 2 12 48 3 62 64 .259 .364 .416 .780
1955 NYY 141 615 533 79 152 10 8 13 53 6 65 77 .285 .361 .407 .768
1956 NYY 120 518 438 79 136 13 3 13 56 3 68 59 .311 .405 .443 .848
1957 NYY 141 625 539 87 156 25 9 13 62 2 59 71 .289 .362 .442 .804
1958 NYY 138 578 503 69 126 19 1 14 65 6 59 75 .250 .329 .376 .705
1959 NYY 127 481 434 44 109 16 8 4 34 0 35 40 .251 .309 .353 .661
1960 NYY 119 387 337 54 87 16 4 8 34 2 38 45 .258 .337 .401 .737
10 Yrs 1336 5398 4676 697 1291 187 51 112 576 45 559 623 .276 .356 .410 .766
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/19/2013.

May 11 – Happy Birthday Walt Terrell

Drafted by the Mets initially in 1979, Terrell did not sign. The Rangers drafted him the following season, signed him and then bundled him with Ron Darling in a trade for Met fan favorite Lee Mazzilli. Terrell went 19-23 during his three seasons at Shea. In 1984, the Amazins dealt the right-hander to Detroit for Howard Johnson, a transaction that worked out well for both teams. Terrell thrived in the Motor City winning 47 games during the next three seasons. When he slumped to 7-16 in 1988, Detroit traded him to San Diego where he got off to a horrible start during the 1989 season and was just 5-13 by the end of June. That’s when the Yankees swapped their slumping third baseman, Mike Pagliarullo for Terrell and Walt ended the year by winning six of eleven decisions for the Bombers. The Yankees let him walk after that one half-season and he signed with the Pirates. He eventually returned to Detroit where he retired after the 1992 season with 111 victories during his eleven-year big league career.

Only one player in big league history has made the All Star team playing for both Detroit and New York and that’s “the Boomer” David Wells. Here’s my line up of the best players to wear the uniforms of both the Yankees and Tigers during their playing careers:

c – Ivan Rodriguez
1b – Cecil Fielder
2b – Billy Martin
3b – Aurelio Rodriguez
ss - Tom Tresh
of – Rocky Colavito
of – Curtis Granderson
of – Steve Kemp
dh – Gary Sheffield
p – Jeff Weaver
p – David Wells
p – Virgil Trucks
p – Doyle Alexander
cl – Duke Maas
mgr – Ralph Houk

Year Tm W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP
1989 NYY 6 5 .545 5.20 13 13 0 1 1 0 83.0 102 52 48 9 24 30 1.518
11 Yrs 111 124 .472 4.22 321 294 10 56 14 0 1986.2 2090 1031 931 187 748 929 1.429
DET (7 yrs) 79 76 .510 4.26 216 190 9 44 9 0 1328.0 1379 687 629 126 516 621 1.427
NYM (3 yrs) 19 23 .452 3.53 57 56 1 7 3 0 369.2 377 168 145 25 149 181 1.423
PIT (1 yr) 2 7 .222 5.88 16 16 0 0 0 0 82.2 98 59 54 13 33 34 1.585
SDP (1 yr) 5 13 .278 4.01 19 19 0 4 1 0 123.1 134 65 55 14 26 63 1.297
NYY (1 yr) 6 5 .545 5.20 13 13 0 1 1 0 83.0 102 52 48 9 24 30 1.518
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/11/2013.

May 10 – Happy Birthday Ed Barrow

edbarrowThe only thing Edward Grant Barrow couldn’t do real well in the game of baseball, was play it. But nobody managed a team, an organization or a league better than this one-time farm boy from Springield, IL. Barrow’s Yankee career started after he managed the Red Sox and Babe Ruth to a World Series title in 1918. Boston owner, Harry Frazee than began selling his best players for the money he needed to finance his Broadway shows. At the time the Yankees were co-owned by Jacob Rupert and a guy named Tillinghast Huston. The two millionaires hated each other and were constantly arguing about what was best for their baseball team. Hiring Barrow to serve as the team’s business manager in 1920 was about the only thing the two agreed on and it turned out to be the best decision in the history of the Yankee franchise.

Barrow convinced Rupert to make the deal for Ruth. Working closely with Huggins, the new team exec put together a 1921 Yankee roster that won the franchise’s first-ever pennant. Barrow was the architect and overseer of a Yankee minor league organization that became the envy of all of baseball. He handled every detail in the opening and operation of the greatest stadium in the history of US sports. When Huggins died in 1929, it was Barrow who hired Joe McCarthy as soon as the Cubs fired him. Many of the players he put into pinstripes have their faces on plaques that reside in Cooperstown today. Barrow was known for having a fiery temper and for being a strict negotiator. He spent Ruppert’s money as thriftily as if it was his own and his annual contract squabbles with the Yankee stable of superstars were legendary. When Ruppert died and Dan Topping, Del Webb and Larry MacPhail purchased the team, they made Barrow Chairman of the Board. He retired from that position in 1946, after over a half century making his living in and his mark on the game of baseball.  Barrow’s Yankee teams had won 14 Pennants and ten World Series. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953 and he died that same year at the age of 85.

Barrow shares his May 10th birthday with this one-time Yankee pitcher.

May 9 – Happy Birthday Eddie Tiemayer

Eddie_Tiemeyer.jpgThe only member of the all-time Yankee/Highlander roster to celebrate his birthday on May 8th is this right-handed first baseman who appeared in just three games during the Highlanders 1909 season. He broke into the big leagues in 1906, in Cincinnati, the city of his birth. A few other former Yankees born in Cincinnati include, Miller Huggins, Dave Justice, and Joe Torre’s former bench coach, Don Zimmer.

Here’s my all-time lineup of Yankees who also played for Cincinnati:

1b – Wally Pipp
2b – Billy Martin
3b – Aaron Boone
ss – Leo Durocher
c – Joe Oliver
of – Ken Griffey Sr.
of – Paul O’Neill
of – Roberto Kelly
sp – Carl Mays (right-hander)
sp – Don Gullett (left-hander)
closer – David Weathers
mgr – Miller Huggins

Year Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
1909 NYY 3 9 8 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .375 .444 .500 .944
3 Yrs 9 22 19 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 3 3 .263 .364 .316 .679
CIN (2 yrs) 6 13 11 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 .182 .308 .182 .490
NYY (1 yr) 3 9 8 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .375 .444 .500 .944
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/9/2013.

May 8 – Happy Birthday Todd Greene

todd-greene-new-york-yankees-unsigned-8x10-photo_6473f28a8a8254ebd3831d5c07ea0d25.jpgBefore the 2001 season began, the Yankees had signed veteran catcher, Joe Oliver to back up Jorge Posada behind the plate. After a 12-game trial, Oliver had not impressed anyone with his defense or his arm, throwing out just 2 of the 12 runners who had attempted steals against him. New York had signed Todd Greene that April, right after the five-year veteran had been released by the Blue Jays. Greene had spent four seasons as a utility catcher, first baseman and outfielder for the Angels. The Yankees called him up in June of 2001 and the native of Augusta, Georgia turned some heads by hitting a homer in his first game in pinstripes and driving in a total of six runs in his first two. With his shaved head and stocky build, he looked like a professional wrestler and Yankee fans hoped his great start was a sign of more good things to come. It was not. He not only cooled off at the plate, base stealers had a field day running with him behind it. He did make the 2001 postseason roster and doubled and scored a run against Arizona in that year’s World Series. Joe Torre cut him at the end of the 2002 spring training season and he signed on with the Rangers. Greene played until 2006, retiring with 71 big league home runs and a .252 lifetime batting average.

This former Yankee prospect shares Greene’s May 8th birthday.

Year Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
2001 NYY 35 100 96 9 20 4 0 1 11 0 3 21 .208 .240 .281 .521
11 Yrs 536 1657 1573 181 397 82 3 71 217 5 67 332 .252 .286 .444 .730
ANA (4 yrs) 189 626 595 72 147 31 0 26 82 5 25 119 .247 .281 .430 .711
COL (2 yrs) 113 343 321 33 87 18 0 17 58 0 20 59 .271 .315 .486 .801
TEX (2 yrs) 104 328 317 40 77 15 1 20 39 0 4 70 .243 .257 .486 .743
SFG (1 yr) 61 170 159 16 46 12 2 2 17 0 10 45 .289 .335 .428 .763
NYY (1 yr) 35 100 96 9 20 4 0 1 11 0 3 21 .208 .240 .281 .521
TOR (1 yr) 34 90 85 11 20 2 0 5 10 0 5 18 .235 .278 .435 .713
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/8/2013.

May 7 – Happy Birthday Steve Whitaker

The 1966 Yankee spring training camp was the first one in my lifetime in which anxiety about the upcoming season competed with confidence in the minds of most Bronx Bomber fans, myself included. The team’s outfield situation was a perfect example. Mickey Mantle had just experienced the worst season of his illustrious career in 1965 and Roger Maris had spent most of that same year on the DL. Tom Tresh had been about the only offensive bright spot in that ’65 lineup and it would again be him and the M&M Boys who would be penciled in to start in manager Johnny Keane’s second Yankee Opening Day outfield.

With the Mick’s crippled knees and Maris’s chronically sore wrist, Keane’s choices for reserve outfielders on that ’65 roster were especially important. Long-time Yankee Hector Lopez was pretty much guaranteed one of those three spots. Four other players were in that 1966 camp to compete for the other two. One was the recently acquired Red Sox veteran Lou Clinton and the other three were the Yankee’s top prospects at the time, Roy White, Roger Repoz and today’s Pinstripe Birthday Celebrant.

Steve Whitaker, a 22-year-old left-hand-hitting slugger from Tacoma, Washington had been in the Yankee farm system since 1962. He had hit 27 homers for Greensboro in 1964 but he had two big chinks in his resume. In order to hit a home run, your bat has to make contact with the ball and Whitaker’s bat did not do that very often. Compounding the youngster’s propensity to strike out was an explosive temper that just happened to peak whenever the kid struck out. So after an exhibition-season filled with slammed down batting helmets, knocked over water coolers and punched walls, the Yankee brain trust thought it best to send Whitaker back down to the farm for more “seasoning.”

By August of that ’66 season, however, everything had changed. By then it had become clear to everyone that the Yankee team  that had won that decade’s first five AL Pennants was no more. After a horrible start, Houk had replaced Keane as skipper and Whitaker had hit 25 more minor league home runs. The Yankees brought him up that August and told the kid he was a huge part of their future.

Houk threw him into the fire and Whitaker responded pretty well, belting 7 home runs in just 31 games. But his temper hadn’t improved, he still struck out too much and the Yankees still finished in the basement of the AL’s 1966 standings. But I do remember thinking the guy was good enough to help make my Yankee’s winners again and Ralph Houk agreed with me. He started Whitaker in the Yank’s 1967 outfield pretty much the whole season. When that year was over, New York was in ninth place and Houk had seen enough of his young outfielder to decide that he was not the future of the franchise. The Yankees left him unprotected in the 1968 AL expansion draft and he was the 23rd pick of the new Kansas City Royals team. Before he ever played a game for the Royals, KC traded him to Seattle for Lou Piniella. After a year with the Pilots and one more with the Giants, Whitaker’s big league career was over. He and his son, who was also a prospect in the Cleveland Indians’ organization, now operate Whitaker Realty in southern Florida.

Also born on this date was this former Yankee pitcher who’s most famous pitch in Yankee Stadium took place while he was wearing an opposing team’s uniform. Still another May 7th pinstripe birthday belongs to the first guy George Steinbrenner ever hired to manage the Yankees.

Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
1966 23 NYY AL 31 124 114 15 28 3 2 7 15 0 9 24 .246 .306 .491 .798
1967 24 NYY AL 122 472 441 37 107 12 3 11 50 2 23 89 .243 .283 .358 .641
1968 25 NYY AL 28 68 60 3 7 2 0 0 3 0 8 18 .117 .221 .150 .371
5 Yrs 266 824 758 73 174 20 6 24 85 4 54 174 .230 .283 .367 .650
NYY (3 yrs) 181 664 615 55 142 17 5 18 68 2 40 131 .231 .281 .363 .644
SFG (1 yr) 16 30 27 3 3 1 0 0 4 0 2 14 .111 .167 .148 .315
SEP (1 yr) 69 130 116 15 29 2 1 6 13 2 12 29 .250 .323 .440 .763
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/7/2013.

May 6 – Happy Birthday Ivy Andrews

ivy.andrews.jpgThere are not many if any Yankee fans still around who can remember this knuckle-balling right-hander. The best thing about Ivy Andrews had to be his nickname, which was “Poison.” He started his big league career in 1931 when he went 2-0 for New York after being called up from the minors in August of that season. Yankee Manager Joe McCarthy planned on giving the Dora, Alabama native plenty of opportunities the following year but when Andrews came down with a case of lumbago after just four appearances in 1932, Marse Joe started using a rookie named Johnny Allen in his place. Allen became an instant success and Andrews found himself in a Boston Red Sox uniform by early June. He bounced back from his illness to finish that ’32 season with a 10-7 record. When he slumped to 7-13 the following year he was traded to the Browns. In his first season in St. Louis he won just 4 games but three of those victories were complete game shutouts. He then went 13-7 for the 1935 Browns, which turned out to be his best year in the big leagues. The Yankees got him back in 1937 and in that year’s World Series he enjoyed his finest moment in pinstripes. It took place in Game 4 with the Yankees leading the cross-town Giants three games to none and looking for a sweep. McCarthy started Bump Hadley who got hammered for six runs in the second inning. Poison Ivy replaced Hadley and pitched five plus innings of solid relief. Unfortunately, the Yankee lineup took that game off and the Giants came out on top. Andrews played one more year in New York and then spent the next seven in the minors trying to make it back to the big show. He never did.

Also born on this date was one of the first second baseman in New York Yankee history.

Year Tm W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP
1931 NYY 2 0 1.000 4.19 7 3 2 1 0 0 34.1 36 17 16 3 8 10 1.282
1932 NYY 2 1 .667 1.82 4 1 3 1 0 0 24.2 20 8 5 0 9 7 1.176
1937 NYY 3 2 .600 3.12 11 5 5 3 1 1 49.0 49 19 17 2 17 17 1.347
1938 NYY 1 3 .250 3.00 19 1 12 1 0 1 48.0 51 25 16 3 17 13 1.417
8 Yrs 50 59 .459 4.14 249 108 84 43 2 8 1041.0 1151 562 479 59 342 257 1.434
NYY (4 yrs) 8 6 .571 3.12 41 10 22 6 1 2 156.0 156 69 54 8 51 47 1.327
SLB (3 yrs) 24 30 .444 4.29 129 58 42 23 0 5 543.2 618 288 259 36 168 127 1.446
BOS (2 yrs) 15 19 .441 4.38 59 36 12 13 0 1 281.2 301 172 137 12 114 67 1.473
CLE (1 yr) 3 4 .429 4.37 20 4 8 1 1 0 59.2 76 33 29 3 9 16 1.425
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/6/2013.

May 4 – Happy Birthday Miguel Cairo

miguel.cairo.jpgMiguel Cairo played some very good baseball for the New York Yankees during his 257 game-career in Pinstripes. The Yankees put the guy in some incredibly difficult circumstances but he was unflappable. I believe it was during the 2004 regular season, Cairo’s finest as a Yankee, that he made a play that truly impressed me. He had been playing second base all game long when late in the game he was moved to shortstop. I don’t remember why Joe Torre made the switch but I think it was because Jeter got hit on the hand by a pitch and couldn’t take the field. In any event, the first guy up after Cairo makes the move hits a shot toward short and Cairo made this absolutely awesome play on the ball.

This Venezuelan was one of the most valuable members of that 2004 Yankee squad. He anchored second base but could play and did play every other infield position, plus he hit over .290. He did everything the team asked him to do, he did it well and he often had to do it in the sort of clutch situations that teams in a division race encounter frequently.

So happy birthday Miguel. Every successful team has at least one player who does all the little things well and in 2004, you were that player for the Yankees. If only you could have pitched that 12th inning against Boston in game 4 of that season’s AL Championship series.

Miguel shares his May 4th birthday with this one-time AL Saves leader.

Year Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
2004 NYY 122 408 360 48 105 17 5 6 42 11 3 18 49 .292 .346 .417 .763
2006 NYY 81 244 222 28 53 12 3 0 30 13 1 13 31 .239 .280 .320 .600
2007 NYY 54 121 107 12 27 7 0 0 10 8 1 8 19 .252 .308 .318 .625
17 Yrs 1490 4392 3956 504 1044 193 34 41 394 139 40 243 482 .264 .314 .361 .675
STL (4 yrs) 255 605 545 82 138 31 6 8 67 7 3 31 73 .253 .301 .376 .677
TBD (3 yrs) 389 1483 1355 159 373 59 12 9 116 69 22 77 124 .275 .319 .356 .675
CIN (3 yrs) 263 658 595 72 151 27 4 13 74 11 4 39 86 .254 .309 .378 .687
NYY (3 yrs) 257 773 689 88 185 36 8 6 82 32 5 39 99 .269 .319 .370 .689
CHC (2 yrs) 82 179 152 27 42 4 1 2 10 2 1 18 24 .276 .355 .355 .710
NYM (1 yr) 100 367 327 31 82 18 0 2 19 13 3 19 31 .251 .296 .324 .620
PHI (1 yr) 27 47 45 6 12 2 1 1 2 0 0 0 4 .267 .283 .422 .705
SEA (1 yr) 108 250 221 34 55 14 2 0 23 5 2 18 32 .249 .316 .330 .646
TOR (1 yr) 9 30 27 5 6 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 9 .222 .300 .296 .596
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/4/2013.

May 2 – Happy Birthday Bill Piercy

Bill_Piercy.jpgIn Leigh Montville’s book about Babe Ruth entitled, The Big Bam, the author clearly makes the case that when Ruth first became a Yankee in 1920, he was one of the crudest, least mature and most undisciplined human beings to ever wear a big league uniform. He ignored all rules and authority of any kind, doing exactly as he pleased when he pleased. One of the rules he ignored was Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ prohibition of post season barnstorming by players who had participated in that year’s World Series. After the Yankees lost to the Giants in the 1921 World Series, Ruth, his Yankee outfield mate, Bob Meusel and today’s Pinstripe Birthday celebrant, pitcher Wild Bill Piercy joined a barnstorming team, flaunting the Commissioner’s edict.

Landis reacted quickly and harshly. He fined all three players the amount of money they had collected from their 1921 World Series share and also suspended them for the first month of the 1922 regular season. Ruth shrugged off the punishment because he had already become the highest paid player in the game. Meusel was angry but he too would go on to make good money and several more World Series checks in pinstripes. Piercy, on the other hand really got the short end of the stick. Even though he had shown promise as a pitcher by going 5-4 in 1921, Yankee manager Miller Huggins wanted to send a message to Ruth that his childlike behavior would have consequences. He quickly traded Piercy and a couple of other Ruth partying buddies to the Red Sox. The Sultan of Swat, however, hardly noticed his old teammates were missing and he quickly found new ones to pal around with. Meanwhile, Piercy went 16-33 as a Red Sox and was out of the big leagues for good by 1927.

Piercy shares his May 2nd birthday with a Yankee pitcher who’s religious beliefs prevented him from pitching on Friday nights or Saturday afternoons.

Year Tm W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP
1917 NYY 0 1 .000 3.00 1 1 0 1 0 0 9.0 9 3 3 0 2 4 1.222
1921 NYY 5 4 .556 2.98 14 10 3 5 1 0 81.2 82 40 27 4 28 35 1.347
6 Yrs 27 43 .386 4.26 116 70 30 28 2 0 610.2 676 364 289 16 268 165 1.546
BOS (3 yrs) 16 33 .327 4.48 82 54 18 21 1 0 429.2 489 269 214 11 201 95 1.606
NYY (2 yrs) 5 5 .500 2.98 15 11 3 6 1 0 90.2 91 43 30 4 30 39 1.335
CHC (1 yr) 6 5 .545 4.48 19 5 9 1 0 0 90.1 96 52 45 1 37 31 1.472
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/1/2013.

April 30 – Happy Birthday Jumbo Brown

brownWhen CC Sabathia shed 25 pounds after the 2010 postseason, he also shed the mantra of being the heaviest full-time player in MLB history. That honor now reverts back to another Yankee pitcher named Walter Brown. Brown was 6’4″ tall, three inches shorter than Sabathia and tipped the scales at 295 pounds. As a result, he was better known as “Jumbo” Brown. Born in Green, Rhode Island, he broke into the big leagues with the Cubs in 1925 and then pitched for the Indians during the  1927 and ’28 seasons. Not yet ready for prime time, the big guy then returned to the minors.

He became a Yankee in 1932 and spent four of the next five seasons as a member of the Yankee bullpen and one of manager Joe McCarthy’s occasional starters. Unfortunately for Brown, those Yankee teams of the 1930′s were loaded with talented pitchers. One of Brown’s biggest problems, according to author Stephen Lombardi in his book “The Baseball Same Game,” was the fact that his fingers were too short and too stubby to throw a curveball so he was limited to throwing only a fastball. Though Brown’s heater was a good one, it was not good enough to break into that Yankee rotation because after one time through a lineup, opposing hitters had a much easier time squaring up to a one-pitch pitcher.

By 1934, Jumbo was forced to pitch in Newark where he again got a chance to start and won 20-games for the Yankees’ top Minor League franchise. He was 19-16 during his stay in pinstripes, earning two saves and pitching two shutouts. The Reds purchased his contract in 1937 but he quickly returned to the Big Apple when the Giants bought him from Cincinnati that same season. He spent his final five big league seasons pitching very effectively out of the bullpen at the Polo Grounds. His one pitch repertoire was much more suited to relief work, during which hitters faced the rotund right hander and his fastball just once. Brown actually led the NL in saves in both 1940 and ’41 before joining the US Navy. His baseball career ended for good when his military service began. Jumbo is the only member of the Yankee all-time roster to celebrate his birthday on the last day of April.

Year Tm W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP
1932 NYY 5 2 .714 4.53 19 3 9 3 1 1 55.2 58 30 28 1 30 31 1.581
1933 NYY 7 5 .583 5.23 21 8 8 1 0 0 74.0 78 48 43 3 52 55 1.757
1935 NYY 6 5 .545 3.61 20 8 6 3 1 0 87.1 94 41 35 2 37 41 1.500
1936 NYY 1 4 .200 5.91 20 3 8 0 0 1 64.0 93 47 42 4 29 19 1.906
12 Yrs 33 31 .516 4.07 249 23 146 7 2 29 597.1 619 316 270 26 300 301 1.539
NYG (5 yrs) 13 12 .520 2.93 150 0 103 0 0 27 267.1 237 106 87 13 104 131 1.276
NYY (4 yrs) 19 16 .543 4.74 80 22 31 7 2 2 281.0 323 166 148 10 148 146 1.676
CLE (2 yrs) 0 3 .000 6.48 13 0 10 0 0 0 33.1 38 29 24 3 41 20 2.370
CIN (1 yr) 1 0 1.000 8.38 4 1 0 0 0 0 9.2 16 10 9 0 3 4 1.966
CHC (1 yr) 0 0 3.00 2 0 2 0 0 0 6.0 5 5 2 0 4 0 1.500
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/30/2013.
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