The Official Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown Web Site

Name: Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown "Three Finger Brown"
Born: October 19, 1876 in Nyesville, Indiana
Died: February 14, 1948 in Terre Haute, Indiana
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 175 lbs.
Batted: Both
Threw: Right

At the age of 7, Brown was playing on his uncle's farm and got his right hand caught in a corn shredder. His index finger was amputated above the second knuckle, and his thumb and pinkie were both impaired permanently. While chasing a hog a few weeks later, he fell and broke the third and fourth fingers on the same hand, both of which healed unnaturally. This accident led to the distinctive nickname, "Three Finger Brown."

Brown worked in the coal mines during the day; but at night and on weekends, he played third base for the company team. An injury to the team's pitcher in 1898 forced Brown to the mound as an emergency replacement. At that moment he then realized that his childhood misfortune was a blessing in disguise.

After pitching for Terre Haute for two seasons (went 23-8 in 1901 and posted a 27-15 mark in the following season), Brown's contract was purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1903. Following a 9-13 rookie year, Brown was traded to the Cubs because the Cardinals feared that his mutilated hand would prevent him from reaching the status of star pitcher. The Cubs saw great potential and traded for Brown, the man Frank Chance called "the greatest fielding pitcher the game ever had." That year he went 15-10 with a 1.86 ERA and led National League relievers with a 2-0 mark.

Brown once said: "That old paw served me pretty well in its time. It gave me a firmer grip on the ball, so I could spin it over the hump. It gave me a greater dip."

It is said that 'Three Finger' was one of baseball's first "swing men," alternating between the starting rotation and the bullpen. In 1905 he became one of the dominant pitchers in baseball following an 18-12, 2.17 ERA outing. A 26-6 record with a league-best 1.04 ERA was his best season, the first of six straight years in which he would win 20 or more decisions. Chicago's two teams, the Cubs and the White Sox, met in the fall classic. The Sox won in six games.

However the Cubs won the 1907 World Series with Brown hurling a shutout for the decisive win. The sly right-hander beat the Tigers twice in the 1908 Series, throwing 11 scoreless innings. From 1908-11, Brown led the National League in saves with a total of 32, in addition to a league leading 27-9 record in 1909, 25 wins in 1910, and 21 in 1911. In 1911 Brown also paced the league with 13 saves and 53 appearances.

After posting a losing season with the Cubs in 1912 and with Cincinnati in 1913, he became a star in the short-lived Federal League. He played with teams in St. Louis and Brooklyn in 1914, amassing a 14-11 mark. During the next season, Brown helped the Chicago Whales to a league title.

Brown's only mound rival in the league was the great New York Giants pitcher Christy Mathewson, and the two were famous for their pitching duels. Out of 24 of those contests, Brown came out on top 13 times, including nine in a row. Brown defeated Mathewson in a replay of a game against the Giants. After thousands of fans stormed the field, the umpires were forced to call the game a 1-1 tie and start from scratch. Brown stepped in and won the pennant for the Cubs 4-2.

Brown's major league career ended in 1916, but he spent four more years in the minor leagues before retiring in 1920. He compiled the third-best ERA in history at 2.06 and in the early years of his career tossed 272 complete games. Brown amazingly won nearly two-thirds of his career decisions.

In 1948, at the age of 71, the man who won 20 or more games for six straight years; had 57 career shutouts; pitched five complete-game World Series wins; and led the National League in saves four times; passed away in Terre Haute, Indiana. One year before he was elected to the Hall of Fame.