Dave Brain

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Dave Brain baseball card, circa 1910

David Leonard (Dave) Brain (January 24, 1879 - May 25, 1959) was an infielder/outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago White Sox (1901), St. Louis Cardinals (1903-1905), Pittsburgh Pirates (1905), Boston Beaneaters & Doves (1906-1907), Cincinnati Reds (1908) and New York Giants (1908). Brain batted and threw right handed. He was born in Hereford, England.

The English-born Brain was an unreliable fielder who showed some power with his bat and good speed on the basepaths. In 1903 for the St. Louis Cardinals he stole 21 bases and hit 15 triples, including two three-triple games to become the only player in National League history to perform the feat twice in a season. But his accomplishments were overshadowed by his 67 errors – 41 at shortstop and 22 at third base.

In 1904 Brain played around the infield, hitting 24 doubles with 12 triples and 18 stolen bases, and also posted a career-high with 72 runs batted in. In 1905 he divided his playing time between St. Louis and the Pittsburgh Pirates, and played the next two seasons with the Boston teams of the National League. Brain led the league batters with 10 home runs in 1907, but he will never hit another home run. He played his last major league season in 1908, appearing in 27 games with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants.

In a seven-season career, Brain was a .252 hitter with 27 home runs and 303 RBI in 679 games.

Brain died in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 80.