| Hal Brown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1924-12-11)December 11, 1924 Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: December 17, 2015(2015-12-17) (aged 91) Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 19, 1951, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 16, 1964, for the Houston Colt .45s | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 85–92 |
| Earned run average | 3.81 |
| Strikeouts | 710 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Hector Harold Brown (December 11, 1924 – December 17, 2015) was an American professionalbaseball player and right-handedpitcher. He played inMajor League Baseball from1951 through1964 for theChicago White Sox,Boston Red Sox,Baltimore Orioles,New York Yankees andHouston Colt .45s.[1] Brown was aknuckleballer with outstanding control who worked as both astarting pitcher and as arelief pitcher. He played for all or portions of eight seasons (1955–1962) with the Orioles, posting a 62–48won–lost record, and was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 1991.[2] He was a veteran of theUnited States Army Air Forces who served in theEuropean theatre of World War II.[3]
Brown was born inGreensboro, North Carolina, and was nicknamed "Skinny" by his parents because he was a chubby child.[4] Brown weighed 180 pounds (82 kg) and stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall during his active career. He was 26 years old when the White Sox purchased his contract from theTriple-ASeattle Rainiers and he made his major league debut with the team onApril 19, 1951. He spent two years with the White Sox before moving to the Red Sox, the team that had originally signed him to a pro contract in 1946. In1953, Brown went 11–6 in 25 starts. He joined the Orioles inJuly 1955, winning 34 games for them from 1956 to 1959. In1960, he compiled a 12–5 mark with a career-low 3.06ERA for a contending Baltimore team that finished second in theAmerican League. Thenext year, he went 10–6 with a 3.19 ERA. He was sold to the pennant-bound Yankees inSeptember 1962.
Brown worked in two late-season games for the Yankees, but was ineligible for the Bombers'1962 World Series roster because he was sold to them after September 1. He was purchased by the Colt .45s at the outset of the1963 season. It was the third time that Houstongeneral managerPaul Richards, who managed Brown in Seattle in 1950, had acquired the right-handed pitcher — he had done so in 1951 when Richards managed the White Sox and in 1955 when he was both general manager and field manager with the Orioles.
With Houston in 1963, Brown was a victim of poor run support, as hewalked just eight batters in 141 innings and posted a 3.31 ERA, but tallied a 5–11 record. In1964, his last major league season, he finished 3–15 with a 3.95 ERA.
In a 14-season major league career, Brown posted an 85–92 record with a 3.81 ERA in 358 appearances, including 211 starts, 47complete games, 13 shutouts, 11saves, 1,680innings pitched, and a 1.83strikeout-to-walk ratio (710-to-389). He allowed 1,677hits, but only 389bases on balls, 14hit by pitches and 37wild pitches as a major leaguer.
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