Larry Brown (baseball player)
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| Larry Brown | |
|---|---|
| Infielder | |
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| July 6, 1963 for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Final game | |
| September 29, 1974 for the Texas Rangers | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .233 |
| Home runs | 47 |
| RBI | 254 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Larry Leslie Brown (Born: March 1, 1940 in Shinnston, West Virginia) is the brother of Dick Brown and a former Major League Baseball infielder who played from 1963 to 1974 for the Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. A righthander, he was 5'11" and he weighed 165 pounds.
He was originally signed by the Indians in 1958, and on July 6, 1963 against the New York Yankees, he made his big league debut at the age of 23. Pinch-hitting for Tito Francona, he struck out in his first at-bat, but he collected a single in his second plate appearance.
As a starter for Cleveland between 1964 and 1969, his batting averages were consistently low-his highest batting average during that span was .253, while his lowest was .227.
In 1970, he lost his starting job to a young Jack Heidemann, and by April 24, 1971, he was with a new team-the Athletics. He'd end up hitting below .200 during his time with the Athletics, and in 1973 he was signed by the Orioles. He played only 17 games with them that season, batting .250. He finished his career with the Rangers in 1974. He played his final game on September 29 of that year. Overall, he hit .233 with 47 career home runs and 254 RBI. Although those numbers don't sound too great, he was still a good batter in his own right-twice he ranked in the top 5 in sacrifice hits (1965 and 1967). He also ranked in the top ten in intentional walks in 1968, and-because of his good eye at the plate-he ranked in the top ten for best at-bats per strikeout ratio twice (1968 and 1969). His fielding percentage stood at .966. According to Baseball-Reference, the player that is most similar to him statistically is former All-Star Joe DeMaestri. Sam McDowell was his teammate for ten seasons--longer than any other teammate.
[edit] Other information
- "May 4, 1966: Tribe SS Larry Brown and LF Leon Wagner are both hurt in a severe collision at Yankee Stadium. Brown suffers a fractured skull, cheekbone, and nose. Wagner receives a broken nose and slight concussion. Cleveland wins, 2–1, behind starter Sonny Siebert." [1] This collision actually led to the downfall of whatever power he may have possessed.
- Appeared in one playoff game, but did not get an at-bat.
- He wore the number 16 until 1971, when he switched to 8 upon his transfer to the A's. He wore 8 until 1973, where he wore 21. He wore 18 in 1974.
- He earned $28,500 in 1971 and $30,000 in 1972.
- Won the Frank Gibbons-Steve Olin Good Guy Award in 1970.
- He collected his first hit off of Al Downing and his first home run off of Paul Foytack.
- On May 13, 1973, he hit his final home run off of Lindy McDaniel. Over a year later, on September 22, 1974, in his final career at-bat, he collected his final hit-a single off of...Lindy McDaniel.
- At last check, he lived in West Palm Beach, Florida.
[edit] External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
