Hal Brown
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Hector Harold Brown (born December 11, 1924 in Greensboro, North Carolina) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1951 through 1964 for the Chicago White Sox (1951-52), Boston Red Sox (1953-55), Baltimore Orioles (1955-62), New York Yankees (1962) and Houston Colt .45's (1963-64). He batted and threw right-handed.
A knuckleballer with an outstanding control, Brown pitched both as a starter and a reliever. He reached the majors in 1951 with the Chicago White Sox, spending two years with them before moving to the Boston Red Sox. Brown enjoyed a good season with Boston in 1953, going 11-6 in 25 starts. He joined the Baltimore Orioles in 1955 midseason, winning 34 games for them from 1956-59. His most productive season came in 1960, when he had a 12-5 mark with a career-high 3.06 ERA. The next year he ended 10-6 and 3.19, pitching 36 shutout innings to set a team record.
Brown pitched briefly for the Yankees in 1962, then was purchased by the Houston Colt .45's at the end of the season. With Houston in 1963 he was a victim of poor run support, as he walked just eight batters in 141 innings and posted a 3.31 ERA, but tallied just a 5-11 record. In 1964, his last major league season, he finished 3-15 despite a decent 3.95 ERA.
In a 14-season major league career, Brown posted a 85-92 record with a 3.81 ERA in 358 appearances, including 211 starts, 47 complete games, 13 shutouts, 11 saves, 1680 innings pitched, and a 1.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio (710-to-389). He collected only 14 hit by pitches and 37 wild pitches.
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[edit] Highlights
- Twice led American League in Walks/9IP (1.76 in 1959; 1.25 in 1960)
- Led AL in WHIP (1.113 in 1960)
[edit] Fact
- Nicknamed "Skinny" by his parents.
