Random Wednesday: 1912 St. Louis Browns
February 13, 2008 by Geoff Young
Filed under News
Today’s bit of randomness is a team, the hapless 1912 St. Louis Browns. Under the “direction” of Bobby Wallace and George Stovall, the Browns went 53-101, which remarkably wasn’t bad enough for last place in the American League that year. (The New York Highlanders — aka Yankees — managed to lose 102 games.)
Still, the Browns finished 53 games out of first and were pretty much out of the race from the moment they lost the season opener, 6-2, to the White Sox in Chicago. (At the end of that series, the Browns were 2-2, which is the last time they sniffed .500.) As a team, they scored 552 runs and allowed 764. Rookie second baseman Del Pratt and second-year outfielder Burt Shotton were the offensive stars, while youngster Earl Hamilton and oldster Jack Powell led the pitching staff.
For as bad as the Browns were in 1912, they were even worse the year before, finishing at 45-107. In 1913, the legendary Branch Rickey took over as manager and remained in that capacity through 1915 before moving on to bigger and better things.
The Browns won the AL pennant in 1944, but lost to the crosstown rival Cardinals, 4-2, in the World Series. In 1954, the team moved to Baltimore and became known as the Orioles. You may have heard of them…
