Kevin Brown
Encyclopedia
James Kevin Brown is a former Major League Baseball
right-handed pitcher
. Because two other MLB players named Kevin Brown had careers that overlapped with his, he is sometimes incorrectly referred to in baseball documents as Kevin J. Brown.
and was a student and a letterman in football
, baseball
, and tennis
. Brown played 3 years of collegiate baseball at Georgia Tech for their baseball team
.
in the first round (fourth pick overall). Starting in , Brown was second in the Rangers' rotation behind ace Nolan Ryan
and posted a 12-9 record with a 3.35 ERA
and 104 strikeout
s in 1989 and a 12-10 record with a 3.60 ERA and 88 strikeouts in . By , Brown had improved his record with the Rangers to a 21-11 with 173 strikeouts and a 3.32 ERA, was tied for the league lead in victories and was the first since Ferguson Jenkins
in to win 20 games in a Ranger uniform.
following the strike settlement in and signed with the Baltimore Orioles
for a season, posting a 10-9 record with 117 strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA.
, signing with the Florida Marlins
. In his first season with the Marlins, Brown posted a 17-11 record with 159 strikeouts and an MLB best 1.89 ERA, finishing second in the Cy Young Award
voting. In , Brown threw a one-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers
in his first appearance and a no-hitter
against the San Francisco Giants
on June 10, 1997 (the only baserunner in the game for the Giants came via a HBP
).
In the 1997 National League Championship Series
, Brown, riddled with the flu, proceeded to pitch a complete game
in Game Six, defeating the Atlanta Braves
and helping the Marlins reach the World Series
, which they eventually won over the Cleveland Indians
.
for Derrek Lee
and prospects. He posted an 18-7 record with a career-high 257 strikeouts and a 2.38 ERA, finishing third in the Cy Young Award voting. He helped to lead the Padres to the 1998 World Series
, but not before blowing a save in Game 5 of the NLCS during a rare relief
appearance. The Padres would then lose to the New York Yankees
in the 1998 World Series
in a four game sweep.
Kevin Brown's tenure with the Padres during the 1998 season was somewhat marred when the San Diego fans chose to cheer slugger Sammy Sosa
during his home run chase along with Mark McGwire
. Frustrated by the fact that the Padres were trying to win games during a pennant race, Kevin Brown insulted San Diego fans to the media.
home than San Diego during the season. Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes
called the contract "one of the worst deals ever from a team's point of view" because Brown averaged only nine wins per season and was frequently injured during the seven years of the deal. That contract is currently listed as the 32nd largest in the history of sports tied with NBA Star Juwan Howard
.
His first season in Los Angeles, he posted an 18-9 record with 221 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA. After leading the NL in ERA during an injury-plagued season, his performance began to dwindle as Brown was hampered by injuries and poor run support. In , Brown rebounded, producing a respectable 14-9 record with 185 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA, although Bill Plaschke noted following the release of the Mitchell Report
"(his numbers that year are) no longer believe(able)."
as part of a deal that sent Jeff Weaver
, Yhency Brazobán
, Brandon Weeden, and $2.6 million in cash to Los Angeles. He went on to a 10-6 record with a 4.09 ERA, but experienced health problems during the season. Toward the end of the season, Brown, leaving Yankee manager Joe Torre
's office in anger, punched the wall outside, breaking his left hand. Brown would be out of action for the remainder of the season. He would pitch in the post season, pitching six innings against Minnesota
and only allowing one run
in the Division Series
. But it was his performance in Game 7 of the 2004 American League Championship Series that he is remembered for, lasting less than two innings while giving up five earned runs, including a two-run homer
to David Ortiz
.
Brown would attempt to come back in , but missed several games during the season due to injury. He would go 4-7 with a 6.50 ERA. On February 20, , Brown announced his retirement. He currently resides in Macon
, Georgia with his wife Candace, 3 sons—Ridge, Grayson, and Dawson—and five dogs.
named Brown as one of a group of Los Angeles Dodgers
implicated in steroid use. The report documents allegations by Kirk Radomski
that he sold Brown human growth hormone and Deca-Durabolin over a period of two or three years beginning in either 2000 or 2001. Radomski claims he was introduced to Brown by Paul Lo Duca
. Radomski's claims were supported by an Express Mail receipt dated June 7, 2004, addressed to Brown. The report also contains notes from a meeting of Dodgers executives in 2003 during which they question the medication Brown takes and include a note stating "Steroids speculated by GM". Brown declined to meet with the Mitchell investigators.
LA Times
sportswriter Bill Plaschke
states that by 2003 "it was obvious to me...(and) Dodger management that...(he was) probably on steroids. We would even talk about it while watching their bulging, straining bodies from the dugout during batting practice. But the players would admit nothing, so there was nothing I could write.". Brown's temper tantrums, he notes, may have in fact been "'roid rage."
that averaged 93 – 96 mph, with tremendous tailing, downward movement. He could spot it to either side of the plate. Batters facing him generally pounded this pitch into the ground or missed it entirely. He complemented this pitch with a sharp slider
in the high 80s, and a solid split fingered fastball
he used against left-handed
hitters or for another look.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
right-handed pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. Because two other MLB players named Kevin Brown had careers that overlapped with his, he is sometimes incorrectly referred to in baseball documents as Kevin J. Brown.
Amateur years
Brown attended Wilkinson County High School in Irwinton, GeorgiaIrwinton, Georgia
Irwinton is a city in Wilkinson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 583 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Wilkinson County.-Geography:Irwinton is located at ....
and was a student and a letterman in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
. Brown played 3 years of collegiate baseball at Georgia Tech for their baseball team
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that play for the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wreck, Engineers, Blacksmiths, and Golden Tornado. There are 8 men's and 7 women's teams that...
.
Texas Rangers
In , Brown was drafted by the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
in the first round (fourth pick overall). Starting in , Brown was second in the Rangers' rotation behind ace Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
and posted a 12-9 record with a 3.35 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
and 104 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s in 1989 and a 12-10 record with a 3.60 ERA and 88 strikeouts in . By , Brown had improved his record with the Rangers to a 21-11 with 173 strikeouts and a 3.32 ERA, was tied for the league lead in victories and was the first since Ferguson Jenkins
Ferguson Jenkins
Ferguson Arthur "Fergie" Jenkins, CM, is a Canadian former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was a three-time All-Star and the 1971 NL Cy Young Award winner. In 1991, Jenkins was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During a 19-year career, he pitched for four different teams,...
in to win 20 games in a Ranger uniform.
Baltimore Orioles
Brown became a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
following the strike settlement in and signed with the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
for a season, posting a 10-9 record with 117 strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA.
Florida Marlins
Following the season, Brown again became a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
, signing with the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
. In his first season with the Marlins, Brown posted a 17-11 record with 159 strikeouts and an MLB best 1.89 ERA, finishing second in the Cy Young Award
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is an honor given annually in baseball to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball , one each for the American League and National League . The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955...
voting. In , Brown threw a one-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
in his first appearance and a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
against the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
on June 10, 1997 (the only baserunner in the game for the Giants came via a HBP
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
).
In the 1997 National League Championship Series
National League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Championship Series is a round in the postseason that determines who wins the National League pennant and advances to Major League Baseball's championship, the World Series, facing the winner of the American League Championship Series. The reigning...
, Brown, riddled with the flu, proceeded to pitch a complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
in Game Six, defeating the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
and helping the Marlins reach the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, which they eventually won over the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
.
San Diego Padres
Following the disassembly of the Marlins' championship team, Brown was traded to the San Diego PadresSan Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
for Derrek Lee
Derrek Lee
Derrek Leon Lee , or "D-Lee", is a Major League Baseball first baseman. Lee has played with the San Diego Padres , the Florida Marlins , Chicago Cubs , Atlanta Braves , Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates . He bats and throws right-handed.Lee was a World Series Champion with Florida in 2003,...
and prospects. He posted an 18-7 record with a career-high 257 strikeouts and a 2.38 ERA, finishing third in the Cy Young Award voting. He helped to lead the Padres to the 1998 World Series
1998 World Series
The 1998 World Series, the 94th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, matched the New York Yankees against the San Diego Padres . The Yankees swept the Series in four games to capture their second championship in three years, and their 24th overall...
, but not before blowing a save in Game 5 of the NLCS during a rare relief
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
appearance. The Padres would then lose to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the 1998 World Series
1998 World Series
The 1998 World Series, the 94th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series, matched the New York Yankees against the San Diego Padres . The Yankees swept the Series in four games to capture their second championship in three years, and their 24th overall...
in a four game sweep.
Kevin Brown's tenure with the Padres during the 1998 season was somewhat marred when the San Diego fans chose to cheer slugger Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
during his home run chase along with Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
. Frustrated by the fact that the Padres were trying to win games during a pennant race, Kevin Brown insulted San Diego fans to the media.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Following the season, Brown again became a free agent. He signed a lucrative contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 7 years/$105 million USD, becoming the first $100 million man in baseball. Many fans, both in San Diego and nationally, were taken aback by the immensity of the contract given to a player in his mid 30's (almost $40 million more than the Padres offer, the next highest offer he received), and also the choice of team, given Brown expressed a desire to play in a city closer to his GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
home than San Diego during the season. Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes
ESPN Deportes
ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...
called the contract "one of the worst deals ever from a team's point of view" because Brown averaged only nine wins per season and was frequently injured during the seven years of the deal. That contract is currently listed as the 32nd largest in the history of sports tied with NBA Star Juwan Howard
Juwan Howard
Juwan Antonio Howard is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . The Heat were his eighth different NBA team. He was drafted fifth overall in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets...
.
His first season in Los Angeles, he posted an 18-9 record with 221 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA. After leading the NL in ERA during an injury-plagued season, his performance began to dwindle as Brown was hampered by injuries and poor run support. In , Brown rebounded, producing a respectable 14-9 record with 185 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA, although Bill Plaschke noted following the release of the Mitchell Report
Mitchell Report (baseball)
The Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball, informally known as the "Mitchell Report", is the result of former Democratic United States Senator from Maine...
"(his numbers that year are) no longer believe(able)."
New York Yankees
On December 11, 2003, Brown was traded to the New York YankeesNew York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
as part of a deal that sent Jeff Weaver
Jeff Weaver
Jeffrey Charles Weaver is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has pitched in the majors for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, St. Louis Cardinals, and Seattle Mariners...
, Yhency Brazobán
Yhency Brazobán
Yhency José "Belt-High" Brazobán is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball...
, Brandon Weeden, and $2.6 million in cash to Los Angeles. He went on to a 10-6 record with a 4.09 ERA, but experienced health problems during the season. Toward the end of the season, Brown, leaving Yankee manager Joe Torre
Joe Torre
Joseph Paul Torre is a former American professional baseball player and manager who currently serves as Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. A nine-time All-Star, he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and a third baseman for the...
's office in anger, punched the wall outside, breaking his left hand. Brown would be out of action for the remainder of the season. He would pitch in the post season, pitching six innings against Minnesota
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
and only allowing one run
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
in the Division Series
Division Series
In baseball, the Division Series is the official name for the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Currently, a total of four series are played in this opening round, two each for both the American League and the National League.-1981 season:...
. But it was his performance in Game 7 of the 2004 American League Championship Series that he is remembered for, lasting less than two innings while giving up five earned runs, including a two-run homer
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
to David Ortiz
David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias , known as David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox...
.
Brown would attempt to come back in , but missed several games during the season due to injury. He would go 4-7 with a 6.50 ERA. On February 20, , Brown announced his retirement. He currently resides in Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, Georgia with his wife Candace, 3 sons—Ridge, Grayson, and Dawson—and five dogs.
Mitchell Report
The Mitchell ReportMitchell Report (baseball)
The Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball, informally known as the "Mitchell Report", is the result of former Democratic United States Senator from Maine...
named Brown as one of a group of Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
implicated in steroid use. The report documents allegations by Kirk Radomski
Kirk Radomski
Kirk J. Radomski is a former batboy and clubhouse employee for the New York Mets Major League Baseball team from 1985–1995, who on April 27, 2007 pleaded guilty in United States district court to money laundering and illegal distribution of anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, Clenbuterol,...
that he sold Brown human growth hormone and Deca-Durabolin over a period of two or three years beginning in either 2000 or 2001. Radomski claims he was introduced to Brown by Paul Lo Duca
Paul Lo Duca
Paul Anthony Lo Duca is a television personality and a former Major League Baseball catcher. Previously, Lo Duca played for the Los Angeles Dodgers , Florida Marlins , New York Mets , and Washington Nationals...
. Radomski's claims were supported by an Express Mail receipt dated June 7, 2004, addressed to Brown. The report also contains notes from a meeting of Dodgers executives in 2003 during which they question the medication Brown takes and include a note stating "Steroids speculated by GM". Brown declined to meet with the Mitchell investigators.
LA Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
sportswriter Bill Plaschke
Bill Plaschke
William Paul "Bill" Plaschke is an American sports journalist who has written for the Los Angeles Times since 1987. As a child he attended St. Albert the Great Elementary School in Louisville. He then went on to attend Ballard High School. He spent his freshman year at Baylor University in Waco,...
states that by 2003 "it was obvious to me...(and) Dodger management that...(he was) probably on steroids. We would even talk about it while watching their bulging, straining bodies from the dugout during batting practice. But the players would admit nothing, so there was nothing I could write.". Brown's temper tantrums, he notes, may have in fact been "'roid rage."
Pitching
Brown was a pitcher who had the rare talent of relying both on movement and velocity. His main pitch was a sinking fastballFastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
that averaged 93 – 96 mph, with tremendous tailing, downward movement. He could spot it to either side of the plate. Batters facing him generally pounded this pitch into the ground or missed it entirely. He complemented this pitch with a sharp slider
Slider
In baseball, a slider is a pitch that breaks laterally and down, with a speed between that of a curveball and that of a fastball....
in the high 80s, and a solid split fingered fastball
Split-finger fastball
A split-finger fastball or splitter is a pitch in baseball. It is named after the technique of putting the index and middle finger on different sides of the ball, or "splitting" them. When thrown hard, it appears to be a fastball to the batter, but suddenly "drops off the table" towards home...
he used against left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
hitters or for another look.
Personal
In 2006, a neighbor accused Brown of pulling a gun on him after Brown accused the neighbor of putting yard debris on his side of the yard. He is currently an assistant baseball coach at Tattnall Square academy.See also
- List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball no-hitters
- List of Major League Baseball players named in the Mitchell Report
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- List of Texas Rangers Opening Day starting pitchers
- Top 100 Major League Baseball strikeout pitchers