Gene Brabender
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Eugene Mathew Brabender (August 16, 1941 - December 27, 1996) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent before the 1961 season, and played for the Baltimore Orioles (1966-1968), Seattle Pilots (1969), and Milwaukee Brewers (1970). Nicknamed "Lurch", he stood 6'6" and weighed 225 lbs.
Brabender, described by pitcher Steve Barber as "a hard-throwing righthanded country boy",[1] made his major league debut in relief on May 11, 1966. He entered a tie game against the Chicago White Sox in the top of the 10th inning at Memorial Stadium and gave up a run in the 11th, resulting in a 3-2 Orioles loss. In two innings he struck out four batters...Floyd Robinson, Danny Cater, J.C. Martin, and Ken Berry.
He was part of the 1966 World Series champion team, but did not appear in a World Series game. In three years with Baltimore, both starting and relieving, Brabender had a combined 16-14 record with an earned run average of 3.38. The best game of his career was on August 7, 1967 against the Cleveland Indians, pitching a four-hit shutout and striking out 12. He was traded to the expansion Seattle Pilots on March 31, 1969.
Brabender led Seattle with 13 wins in their only season in the Northwest. His finest effort for this infamous team came on June 21, 1969 at Sick's Stadium as he hurled a three-hit shutout against the Kansas City Royals, striking out 5. The Pilots moved to Milwaukee during 1970 spring training and became the Brewers, and in what would be his final season, Brabender had a record of 6-15 with a 6.02 ERA.
Career totals include a record of 35-43 in 151 games pitched, 80 games started, 15 complete games, 4 shutouts, 29 games finished, 6 saves, and an ERA of 4.25. In 621 innings he struck out 440 and walked 282. His K/9IP of 6.38 and BB/9IP of 4.09 were both above the American League average during his era. He had a batting average of .102 in 187 at bats with 2 home runs.
Brabender died in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin at the age of 55.
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[edit] Trivia
- Brabender led Florida State League pitchers with 37 wild pitches while playing for the St. Petersburg Saints in 1962.
- He led Northwest League pitchers in strikeouts (223), bases on balls (108), and complete games (16) while playing for the Salem Dodgers in 1963.
- He was the first losing pitcher in Seattle Pilots history. {Anaheim Stadium -- April 9, 1969}
- He started the third game in Milwaukee Brewers history. {Comiskey Park -- April 10, 1970}
- His other nickname was "Bender."
- Held All-Stars Felipe Alou, Max Alvis, Bert Campaneris, Jimmie Hall, Frank Howard, Don Mincher, Reggie Smith, and Zoilo Versalles to a .125 collective batting average (18-for-144)
- Held Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle to a .143 batting average (1-for-7)
[edit] Quote
- "Gene Brabender sometimes walks around bellowing cowabunga!" -- Jim Bouton in Ball Four (August 21, 1969)
[edit] References
- 1971 Baseball Register published by The Sporting News
