The Legacy of the Browns/Oriole, Bob Young

April 16, 2014
The Baltimore Sun

The St. Louis Browns became the Baltimore Orioles 60 years ago on March 30, 1954.  Billy Hunter threw out the ceremonial pitch on the exact date of the first home game this year (2014).

Billy Hunter's outstanding double-play partner at second base was the late Bob Young, the only native Marylander to arrive in Baltimore with the former Browns.

Bob Young

Young played all or part of eight years in Major League Baseball, primarily as a second baseman. He played most of his career for the St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles franchise.

He was first signed by the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1946 season, and appeared in three games for them in 1948 before being traded to the crosstown Browns in June 1949. He was the Browns' regular second baseman from 1951 to 1953, tying for the American League lead in double plays as a 1951 rookie with 118, and leading the league again in 1952 with 127.

He continued as the starting second baseman after the team relocated to Baltimore before the 1954 season, and was in fact the first player signed to a contract that year.

Casey Stengel, of the New York Yankees, paid Young a great compliment when he said: "Only two guys pivot properly on the double play — my fellow and the fellow in Baltimore."

As leadoff man, Young was the first Oriole to bat in the stadium on 33rd Street.