Bryan Maris Stephens (July 14, 1920 – November 21, 1991) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...

. The native of Fayetteville, Arkansas, a right-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the 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 ...

, appeared in 74 Major League games — 31 for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

and 43 for the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

. He stood tall and weighed . Stephens attended Washington High School in Los Angeles County, California, and signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1939. The following season he was acquired by the Indians and spent 1940–1942 in their farm system, winning 20 of 24 decisions in 1942 for the Class B Cedar Rapids Raiders of the

Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was a Minor League Baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 seasons, with teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The league began pla ...

. He then missed the 1943–1945 seasons while serving in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during World War II. After one more year of minor league seasoning in 1946, Stephens made the 1947 Indians' roster. In his first Major League appearance, as a starting pitcher on May 15 against the Washington Senators at

Griffith Stadium Griffith Stadium stood in Washington, D.C., from 1911 to 1965, between Georgia Avenue and 5th Street (left field), and between W Street and Florida Avenue NW. The site was once home to a wooden baseball park. Built in 1891, it was called Boundar ...

, Stephens scattered eight hits, all singles, in a complete game, 9–1 triumph over eventual Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher

Early Wynn Early Wynn Jr. (January 6, 1920 – April 4, 1999), nicknamed "Gus", was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox, dur ...

. Sent to the bullpen by

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Lou Boudreau, Stephens then went over a month before his next starting assignment — again at Washington and against Wynn. This time, on June 19, Stephens took the loss, 3–2, and left for a pinch hitter after the fifth inning. Altogether, he made five starts for Cleveland was used exclusively as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

after July 15. He fashioned a 5–10 win–loss mark and a 4.01

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

, with one save, in 92 innings pitched for the Indians. Stephens was traded on November 20, 1947, with $25,000, Joe Frazier, and Dick Kokos for Walt Judnich and

Bob Muncrief Robert Cleveland Muncrief (January 28, 1916 – February 6, 1996) was an American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in 288 games in Major League Baseball over 12 seasons between and with the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, Pittsb ...

. Stephens worked out of the bullpen early in the 1948 season before making six successive starts during June; however, he lost his first four decisions before throwing another complete game, a 9–6 win over the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

Sportsman's Park Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri. All but one of these were located on the same piece of land, at the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street, on th ...

, winning the game himself by driving in three runs with an eighth-inning

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

off

Mel Parnell Melvin Lloyd Parnell (June 13, 1922 – March 20, 2012) was a professional baseball pitcher who spent his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Boston Red Sox. Listed at and , he threw and batted left-handed. Playing career Parne ...

. (Bryan Stephens was one of three players with a similar surname who played in that game, including Boston's

Vern Stephens Vernon Decatur Stephens (October 23, 1920 – November 3, 1968) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from through . An eight-time All-Star, Stephens was notable for being the American L ...

and the Browns'

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

, Chuck Stevens.)1948-6-25 box score from Retrosheet
/ref> But Bryan Stephens' year with the Browns had few bright spots: he collected three saves and posted three wins, against six losses, with a poor 6.02 earned run average in innings pitched. He spent the next two seasons, his last as a professional, in the minors. All told, Stephens allowed 220 hits and 106 bases on balls in Major League innings pitched, with 69 strikeouts.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Bryan 1920 births 1991 deaths Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Baseball players from Arkansas Baseball players from Los Angeles County, California Cedar Rapids Raiders players Charleston Senators players Cleveland Indians players Henderson Oilers players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Major League Baseball pitchers Oakland Oaks (baseball) players St. Louis Browns players San Antonio Missions players Tacoma Tigers players Wilkes-Barre Barons (baseball) players United States Army personnel of World War II Sportspeople from Fayetteville, Arkansas