- Gates Brown
Infobox MLB retired
name = Gates Brown
position =Outfielder
bats = Left
throws = Right
birthdate = birth date and age|1939|5|2Crestline, Ohio
debutdate =June 19
debutyear = by|1963
debutteam =Detroit Tigers
finaldate =September 26
finalyear = by|1975
finalteam =Detroit Tigers
stat1label =Batting average
stat1value = .257
stat2label =Home run s
stat2value = 84
stat3label =Runs batted in
stat3value = 322
teams =
*Detroit Tigers (by|1963–by|1975)
highlights =
*World Series champion (1968)William James "Gates" Brown (born in
Crestline, Ohio onMay 2 ,1939 ) is a formerMajor League Baseball player who spent his entire career with theDetroit Tigers (1963–1975). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.In a 13 season career, Brown was a .257 hitter with 84
home runs and 322 RBI in 1051 games.Brown divided his major league career as an
outfielder ,first baseman ,pinch hitter and DH. He is best remembered for his contribution to the1968 World Series champion Detroit Tigers. In his pinch hitting at bats in the 1968 season, Brown hit for a .450 batting average, the eighth highest single season batting average for a pinch hitter (minimum 30 at bats) in major league history.On June 19, 1963, coming off the bench, Brown became the
American League 's 11th player to hit a home run in his firstat bat . A popular figure among Tigers' fans, Brown may not have had the defensive skills to make the everyday lineup but he has been considered one of the premier pinch hitters inMLB history.In his career, Brown collected 107
pinch hit s, including 16 pinch homers, and also led twice the AL in pinch hits (1968 and 1974). His most productive season came in 1964, when he posted career-highs in home runs (15), RBI (54), runs (65), hits (116), doubles (22), triples (6),stolen base s (11) and atbats (426) in 123 games.While 1968 was called the year of the
pitcher for most of baseball, overall batting being only .230 for the year, the potent Tigers attack scored 671 runs. That year was the batting high water mark for Gates Brown who, with remarkable regularity, came off the bench with clutch hits to spark dramatic ninth inning comeback victories. Brown's timely hitting was crucial in sealing the Tiger's trip to the World Championship. Starting in only 17 games that season, but Brown appeared in 49 more as a pinch hitter, banging out a torrid .370 (34 for 92) with a .442on-base percentage and a .685slugging average .On August 7, 1968, Brown made history. He wasn't in the starting lineup, so he decided to grab two hot dogs from the clubhouse. He was ordered by manager
Mayo Smith to pinch hit. He stuffed the hot dogs in his jersey to hide them from his manager."I always wanted to get a hit every time I went to the plate. But this was one time I didn't want to get a hit. I'll be damned if I didn't smack one in the gap and I had to slide into second—head first, no less. I was safe with a double. But when I stoop up, I had mustard and ketchup and smashed hot dogs and buns all over me.
"The fielders took one look at me, turned their backs and damned near busted a gut laughing at me. My teammates in the dugout went crazy." After fining Brown $100, Smith said, "What the hell were you doing eating on the bench in the first place?" Brown: "I decided to tell him the truth. I said, 'I was hungry. Besides, where else can you eat a hot dog and have the best seat in the house?'" [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n17_v217/ai_15355205]
From 1971–73 Brown hit 33 home runs with 110 RBI in 571 at bats, including a .338 average in 1971 (66 for 195). He retired at the end of the 1975 season.
In 1978, Brown returned to the Tigers as their hitting coach, a position he would hold through the championship season of 1984, before giving way to
Vada Pinson .ee also
*
1968 Detroit Tigers season
*MLB designated hitter statistics References
External links
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/B/Brown_Gates.stm Baseball Library]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/brownga01.shtml Baseball Reference]
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