Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Seattle Mariners Catching up with the Browns' Opening Day Record

The Seattle Mariners yesterday tied a 70-year old record held by the St. Louis Browns.    It is the American league record of most consecutive wins on opening day, with nine.   The Browns won nine consecutive opening days from 1937 through 1945.

The Browns would have made it 10 straight, but in 1946, the Browns' Nels Potter  lost a pitchers' duel to Hal Newhouser, as the defending World Champion Detroit Tigers beat the Brownies 2-1.

Back in those days, the Browns opened the season against the de facto Western Division. During their nine season record-setting span, the Browns opened against the Tigers and Chicago White Sox four times each, and the Cleveland Indians once.

Yes, the Browns were very proficient at giving their fans opening-day bliss. Rest of the season? Not so much....

http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/led-by-dominant-felix-hernandez-mariners-top-angels-in-season-opener/

Monday, April 6, 2015

Browns Fan Club at Card Show April 12


The St. Louis Browns Fan Club will be represented at the St. Louis Sports Collectors and baseball card show next show Sunday, April 12th at Orlando Gardens. The banquet center is south of Bayless Rd and Interstate 55 in South County.
 
On hand signing autographs are Lou Brock, Red Schoendienst and Jim Bunning. Feel free to view our autograph lineup on our homepage at www.stlsportscollectors.com .
 
Lou Brock won the hearts of Cardinal fans shortly after his trade to the Cardinals on June 15, 1964. That trade helped spark the Cardinals to an unexpected pennant and next the first World Series Championship for
St Louis. Why was the pennant and ensuing World Championship unexpected? When the trade was made, the Cardinals were in eighth place and as late as September 21st the Phillies had a 6.5 game lead for the pennant! During the remainder of Mr. Brock's career, he achieved another World Series Championship, one National League Pennant, 938 stolen bases (then an all-time record), over 3,000 hits, stolen base leader eight times and six time all-star. He also led the league at various time in at bats, doubles and triples! Other achievements include having the highest World Series batting average, .391, for those that played in 20 or more games, he was one of only four batters to hit a home run in the right center field bleachers in the Polo Grounds (Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Joe Adcock being the others), also he was the first batter in a major league regular season game in Canada when the Expos first played in Montreal.
 
The achievements of Hall of Fame member Red Schoendienst are many: he was an outstanding second baseman often leading the league in fielding statistics. He was a member of the 1946 Cardinal and 1957 Brave
World Champion Teams. He was a member of the 1958 Brave National League Champion team. Also as a player he was a ten time all-star, often hit over .300 and even lead the NL in base steals one year!
 
After retiring as a player he managed the World Champion Cardinal team of 1967. He managed the 1968 NL Champion team and was a coach for the World Series Champion 1964 and 1982 Cardinals! He was the bench coach of the 1985 and 1987 NL Champs. He ranks second in wins as a Cardinal Manager. In 1967 and 1968 he earned the Manager of the Year Award. Hope you can plan on coming out to meet the third oldest members of the Hall of Fame and the oldest manager of a World Series Champion team! He has been in a MLB uniform in various capacities for 70 years. Come out to congratulate him in his 70th season in uniform!!
 
It has been eight years since Hall of Fame pitcher, Jim Bunning, last appeared with St Louis Sports Collectors. The achievements of Mr. Bunning are numerous: nine time All-Star, three time
Strikeout leader, win leader, two no hitters, one of which was a perfect game. To put it in perspective of how dominate he was as a pitcher, when he retired, Mr. Bunning was second on the list of all time strikeouts, behind only Walter Johnson.
 
While with the Tigers, he pitched a no-hitter against the Ted Williams led Boston Red Sox. On Father's Day, 1964 while with the Phillies, he tossed a perfect game against the Mets. The perfect game was the first thrown in the National League since 1880! He is one of seven pitchers to throw a perfect game and a separate no hitter, four of those came after his. He is only one of five pitchers to have a no hitter in each league. Lastly, on August 2, 1959, Bunning struck out three batters on nine pitches in the ninth inning of a 5-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox. He is one of ten pitchers to accomplish a nine pitch/three strikeout inning. His post baseball career was also very rewarding by serving five terms in the US House of Representatives and two terms in the United States Senate.