All-Time Indians: Clint Brown

While it’s often overlooked due to the elapsed time and the offensive boom in the 1990’s, the increase in offense in the late 1920’s and 1930’s thanks to a change in style of hitting was far greater than any effect from increased steroid use in the 1980’s and 1990’s. A simple glance at the league stats show that the top 19 seasons in batting average in baseball history came between 1920 and 1939 (only 1933 is missing) and power also increased dramatically as Babe Ruth single handedly rewrote the record books with 29 home runs in 1919, 54 in 1920, 59 in 1921 and 60 in 1927. League wide power increased as well and in the .435 slugging percent in 1930 remains second in baseball history to this day.

The point of this primer is that, more than any other era, pitchers in the late 1920’s and entire 1930’s are often overlooked. Such is the case of Clint Brown, a Tribe hurler who dealt with the brunt of the time period without the benefit of pitching before or after (as many other more highly acknowledged pitchers, like Bob Feller and Mel Harder did).

A native Pennsylvanian, Brown began his professional career with Harrisburg in the independent ranks in 1925 and he played there on and off until he was signed by the Indians in September of 1928. Just ten days after signing, he made his Major League debut in relief, then made his first start only two days after that. While he allowed six runs in a complete game loss, this was nothing new for the 92 loss Indians. He would begin the following season with the Indians minor league affiliate in New Orleans where he would win 20 games before getting called up in September for the second year in a row. This time, he would make three appearances including a 7.1 relief appearance in his first game back and again he would pitch a complete game in his final start, again taking a loss.

The 1929 Indians had improved by 19 wins over the previous season and a lot of this had to do with the starting rotation as Willis Hudlin, Wes Ferrell and Jake Miller all had great seasons. There was still room for improvement, however, and Brown was made the fifth starter in 1930, ultimately becoming one of just three starters to stay in the rotation for the entire season along with Ferrell and Hudlin.

Given the opportunity to start regularly, Brown wouldn’t let it go and completed his first three starts, all for wins (the first three of his career). While he would lose his next three decisions and ultimately finish with a 11-13 record, Brown would continue to complete games, finishing 16 of his starts second on the Indians behind Ferrell. His 4.97 ERA was less than would normally be desired, but he still lead the AL with three shut outs. An all or nothing pitcher, Brown had 11 starts where he pitched at least 9 innings and allowed three or fewer earned runs (including one 13 inning loss where the only runs scored by either team were unearned) and nine starts where he went less than five innings including five where he allowed five or more earned runs.

Never a big strike out pitcher, Brown did an incredible job of both keeping hitters in the ball park and not giving up free bases. He walked just 51 in 213.2 innings during his first full season, then only 55 in 233.1 in his second. Overall, he became a much more consistent pitcher in his second year, completing 12 games with two shut outs. He would improve again in his third year, leading the league in BB/9 (1.7) for the first of two straight years. This season in 1932 would be Brown’s best ever as a starter, winning 15 games and holding a 4.08 ERA.

While 4.08 may not seem exciting, as mentioned, this wasn’t a great time to be a pitcher and the AL average ERA was 4.48 in 1932, the 20th highest average in AL history and at the time the second highest ever behind 1930.

The 1933 season would be slightly better for pitchers around the league and Brown would improve as well, although injuries limited him to 185 innings. He maintained his BB/9 at 1.7, his HR/9 rate at 0.5 and slightly increased his K-rate while completing 10 of 23 starts including two more shut outs. While complete games were more common prior to the modern age, Brown sticks out among his contemporaries, ranking 25th in Indians history with 62, but behind only Mel Harder, Hudlin and Ferrell among those he played alongside. This was despite the fact that 1933 would be his final year in the league as a starting pitcher, giving him just four full seasons in the rotation.

Arm problems relegated him to the bullpen for both the 1934 and 1935 seasons and he struggled greatly in this new role. After holding an ERA above 5.00 both seasons, he was sold to the White Sox. The Indians still believed in a strong rotation finishing what they started as baseball had been forever and even if Brown could pitch well in relief, there was no room for him.

In Chicago, however, there was a bit of a revolution. Brown pitched similarly in 1936 and missed almost all of 1938 with injury, but in 1937 he would become the first true “closer” in White Sox history (the Indians wouldn’t have a real closer until Ray Narleski in the mid-1950’s) saving 18 games to shatter the previous Chicago record of 9 set in 1917. Brown would league the league with those 18 saves and also with his 53 appearances and 48 games finished in 1937. After missing 1938, he would come back to win 11 games and save 18 more in 1939, then add ten more saves in 1940.

Despite the success of this experiment, the Sox wouldn’t have a closer surpass 18 saves in a season until they obtained the Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm in the 1960’s. In his new role, the Indians now had interest in Brown and, prior to the 1941, the Indians traded Johnny Humphries to Chicago to bring him back. Brown would pitch well in 1941, saving five games and holding a 3.27 ERA in 41 relief appearances, but he would make just seven appearances in 1942 before retiring. In an interesting mirror response, the White Sox would take the ineffective reliever, Humphries, and turn him into a starter. This was even more effective than the move with Brown as he made 28 starts in 1942 with a 2.68 ERA and would ultimately hold an ERA of 3.25 in over 800 innings in Chicago. For as great as Brown was for the Tribe early in his career, this ended up being another example of the Indians making a mistake when giving up on a player, then making an even bigger mistake by bringing him back.

Brown stayed in Ohio following his retirement and died young, passing in Rocky River in 1955 at the age of 52, just 13 years after retiring.