Eugene Mathew Brabender (August 16, 1941 – December 27, 1996), nicknamed Lurch, was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
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 ...
. He was signed by the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
as an amateur free agent before the 1961 season. He also was a member of the US Army from 1963 to 1964.
He pitched for the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
(1966–1968),
Seattle Pilots /
Milwaukee Brewers (1969–1970).
During a 5-year baseball career, Brabender compiled 35
wins, 440
strikeouts
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
, and a 4.25
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 ...
. He stood tall and weighed .
Brabender, described by pitcher
Steve Barber as "a hard-throwing right-handed country boy," made his Major League debut in relief on May 11, 1966. He entered a tie game against the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
in the top of the 10th inning at
Memorial Stadium and gave up a
run in the 11th, resulting in a 3–2 Orioles loss. He was part of the Orioles'
1966 World Series
The 1966 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1966 season. The 63rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Baltimore Orioles and National League ...
champion team, but did not appear in a
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
game. Brabender was 16–14 with a 3.39 ERA in 82 games (30 starts) during his time in Baltimore.
He pitched the best game of his career on August 7, 1967, against 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 ...
, tossing a four-hit
shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
while striking out 12 batters.
He along with
Gordon Lund was traded from the Orioles to the Seattle Pilots for
Chico Salmon on March 31, 1969.
Brabender led Seattle with 13 wins in their only season in the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...
.
The Pilots moved to Milwaukee during 1970
spring training and became the Brewers, and in what would be his final season, Brabender compiled a 6–15 record with one save and a 6.02 ERA in 29 games (21 starts).
Brabender died of a brain aneurysm at age 55 on December 27, 1996.
References
*1971 Baseball Register published by
The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
External links
Pura Pelota
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brabender, Gene
1941 births
1996 deaths
Albuquerque Dukes players
Baltimore Orioles players
Baseball players from Wisconsin
Great Falls Electrics players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Milwaukee Brewers players
Orlando Dodgers players
Rochester Red Wings players
Salem Dodgers players
Salt Lake City Angels players
Seattle Pilots players
Sportspeople from Madison, Wisconsin
St. Petersburg Saints players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks baseball players