Mordecai Brown by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Mordecai Brown

Page 110

at least half of the years of achievement for the team being considered, meaning that a minimum of three of the player's five or more years as the best in the league must correspond with his team's run of success. What must be recognized for Musial’s Cardinals is that their dominance came during World War II, when the best were away from the game. The “reasons” that Musial did not serve vary rather wildly, and are not the subject of this book.

The Cubs topped all with four position players; first baseman and manager Frank Chance, second baseman Johnny Evers, catcher Johnny Kling, and outfielder Jimmy Sheckard, and two pitchers, Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown and Ed Reulbach, with five or more years as the best in the league at their position including at least three consecutive between 1906 and 1910. And were it not for Honus Wagner at shortstop, Joe Tinker would have made five. Chicago's pitching ace, Three Finger Brown, could have been counted as the National League's best reliever as well as one of its best starting pitchers during these years. From 1908 to 1910 in particular, Brown was a workhorse out of the bullpen in addition to starting and completing more games than any other pitcher on Chicago's formidable pitching staff. Brown started 96 of the 467 games the Cubs played those three years, completing 86, but also finished 41 games started by other pitchers, going