Brown, "Three-Finger"
(Mordecai P. C.)
Baseball
b. Oct. 18, 1876, Nyesville, IN
d. Feb. 14, 1948
At seven years old, Brown lost most of his index finger and had two other fingers and his thumb badly mangled when he stuck his right hand into a corn chopper.
The injury helped make him a great pitcher because it gave his curve ball an unusually deceptive break. Ty Cobb called it "the most devastating pitch I ever faced."
Brown began his professional career as a switch-hitting third baseman, but he soon became a pitcher. He entered the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1903. The following year, he went to the Chicago Cubs, where he became famous with some great teams.
After winning a total of 33 games in his first two seasons with the Cubs, Brown went 26-6 with 9 shutouts in 1906. He was 1-2 in Chicago's six-game World Series loss to the Chicago White Sox.
In 1907, Brown won 20 and lost 6, but didn't appear in the World Series until the fifth game, when he beat the Detroit Tigers 2-0 to win the championship for the Cubs.
Brown in 1908 became the first pitcher to record 4 consecutive shutouts. He had a 29-9 record that year. His most important victory came in the last game of the season against the New York Giants. The teams were tied for first place and had to replay a game that had ended in a tie. Brown came on in relief in the second inning with New York ahead 1-0 and he went on to win 4-2. The Cubs beat Detroit in a four-game series, with Brown winning the first game in relief and the fourth game as a starter.
After a 27-9 record in 1909, when the Cubs finished second, Brown was 25-14 in 1910, but lost 2 of 3 decisions in a five-game World Series loss to Philadelphia. He had his sixth and last 20-win season with a 21-11 record in 1911.
A knee injury limited him to a 5-6 record in 1912 and he was traded to Cincinnati. Brown became player-manager of the St. Louis Federal League team in 1914, but was replaced as manager and then traded to Brooklyn. He went to the Chicago Federal League team in 1915, then returned to the Cubs for a final major league season.
Brown played and managed in the minor leagues through 1920 and he later managed a semi-pro team in Illinois.