Tom Browning

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Tom Browning After Throwing A Perfect Game
Tom Browning After Throwing A Perfect Game

Thomas Leo Browning (born April 28, 1960 in Casper, Wyoming) was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds (1984-1994) and the Kansas City Royals (1995). He is also co-author of "Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout."

He is perhaps best known for pitching a perfect game on September 16, 1988 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Contents

[edit] Minor Leagues

Browning was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the ninth round of the 1982 June Draft. That year he led the Pioneer League in strikeouts and innings pitched, and after learning a screwball during the Fall Instruction League, went 8-1 with 101 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings pitched for Class-A Tampa in 1983. He eventually earned a midseason promotion to Class-AA Waterbury and struck out 101 more batters in 117 1/3 innings pitched.

Tom began the 1984 season with Class-AAA Wichita, where he went 12-10 with a league-high 160 strikeouts. On July 31 of that year, he threw a seven-inning no-hitter against Iowa and later earned a September call-up to play for Pete Rose's Cincinnati Reds. In his major-league debut, Tom beat Orel Hershiser and the Los Angeles Dodgers while pitching 8 1/3 innings and giving up just one run. He'd finish the year 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA to retain his spot on the major-league club the following season.

[edit] Early career

As a rookie in 1985, Tom went 20-9 with a 3.55 ERA for the Reds, becoming the first rookie to win 20 games since the Yankees' Bob Grim in 1954. Tom finished the season with 11 consecutive wins, the longest streak by a Cincinnati pitcher in 30 years, and was named The Sporting News' NL Rookie Pitcher of the Year. He also finished second (behind Vince Coleman) in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Tom would go on to post double-digit win totals for seven straight seasons and consistently ranked among the league leaders in starts, innings pitched and shutouts. One of his best seasons came in 1988, when he went 18-5 with a 3.41 ERA and teamed with 23-game-winner Danny Jackson to form the best pitching tandem in baseball that season.

On Sept. 16 of that year, Tom made baseball history by becoming the first Red (and just the 12th pitcher ever) to throw a perfect game. In that 1-0 victory over the Dodgers at Riverfront Stadium, Tom threw 72 of his 102 pitches for strikes and didn't run the count to three balls on a single batter. He also missed becoming the first Major League pitcher to hurl two perfect games, taking another bid into the ninth on July 4, 1989, against the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium; a lead-off single by Dickie Thon broke up this attempt.

[edit] World Series

In 1990 the Reds went to the postseason for the first and only time in Tom's career. He won 15 games that season and picked up a key win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. The Reds would meet the heavily favored Oakland A's in the World Series that year, but thanks in part to Tom's victory in Game 3, the Reds pulled off what was considered an unthinkable sweep to become world champions. "That 1990 season was, without a doubt, the most enjoyable season of baseball I has ever been a part of," he would say.

[edit] Late Career

Tom battled injuries from 1991-'93, going 27-26, but earned a spot on the 1991 All-Star team after a 10-4 start to the season. Two years later, in one of baseball's most legendary pranks, he sneaked out of Wrigley Field during a Reds-Cubs game and appeared on a Sheffield Avenue rooftop - in uniform - during a July 7 game. The gag earned Tom a $500 fine from Reds Manager Davey Johnson.

Tom entered the 1994 season healthy. However, during a fateful start in San Diego on May 9, 1994, Tom's arm broke while delivering a pitch to Archi Cianfrocco. The injury was substantial, and he was done for the season. He attempted a comeback with the Kansas City Royals in 1995, pitching in two games at the major-league level, but he decided to take the season off and to continue rehabbing his arm. He entered camp with the Royals again in 1996 but decided to call it quits when, according to Tom, "I just couldn't compete at the level or with the passion I demanded of myself."

[edit] After Retirement

Tom retired with a 123-90 record, a 3.94 ERA and 31 complete games. His 123 wins as a Red rank 12th on Cincinnati's all-time leaders list, and in December of 2005, he led fan balloting wire-to-wire to become a 2006 Reds Hall of Famer. In February 2006, new Reds CEO Bob Castellini invited Tom to spring training as a special instructor. He will also be broadcasting Dayton Dragons games during the 2006 season. The Dragons are a Class-A affiliate of the Reds.

Tom's book, "Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout," debuted in March 2006 and was co-authored by Reds employee Dann Stupp. His official site, "BrowningBook.com," also launched that month.

Preceded by
Mike Witt		 Perfect game pitcher
September 16, 1988		 Succeeded by
Dennis Martínez

[edit] Trivia

  • Browning was superstitious and did not shave in between starts. As a result, he was often photographed with a four-day stubble.
  • After his 1988 perfect game, Reds owner Marge Schott put a clause in his contract that stated his wife, Debbie, would receive a $300,000 bonus if he pitched another perfect game in 1989. The National League Office eventually nixed the clause. He did take a second perfect game into the ninth on July 4 that year against the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium.
  • Browning wore red underwear on the days he pitched.
  • He was the starting pitcher the night Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb's all-time hits record (September 11, 1985).

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../t/o/m/Tom_Browning_751c.html"