Eugene Joseph Bremer (Bremmer) (July 18, 1916 – June 19, 1971) was an American

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 ...

in Negro league baseball. He played between 1932 and 1949.

Pitching style

The 5' 8" righthander pitched exclusively without a windup and utilized an overhand curve.

Playing career

Early Days

Bremer began his career in 1932 with his hometown New Orleans Crescent Stars. In 1935, he joined Winfield Welch's independent Shreveport Giants.

Cincinnati Tigers

In 1936, Bremer joined the Cincinnati Tigers, posting a 25-12 record. The Tigers became charter members of the

Negro American League The Negro American League was one of the several Negro leagues created during the time organized American baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937, and disbanded after its 1962 season. Negro American League franchises :''Ann ...

in 1937 with Bremer posting a 5-1 record in league play.

Broadview Buffaloes

Aside from his time with the Tigers in 1936 and 1937, Bremer was also a member of the Broadview Buffaloes, an integrated team in the Canadian Southern Saskatchewan League. The Buffaloes are viewed by many historians as one of the first integrated teams in all of Canada.

Memphis Red Sox

When the Tigers dissolved prior to the 1938 season, Bremer followed Tigers manager

Ted Radcliffe Theodore Roosevelt "Double Duty" Radcliffe (July 7, 1902 – August 11, 2005) was a professional baseball player in the Negro leagues. An accomplished two-way player, he played as a pitcher and a catcher, became a manager, and in his old age ...

to the

Memphis Red Sox The Memphis Red Sox were an American Negro league baseball team that was active from 1920 to 1959. Originally named the Barber College Baseball Club, the team was initially owned and operated by Arthur P. Martin, a local Memphis barber. In the la ...

. The Red Sox would win the 1938

first half pennant, then the league pennant over the

Atlanta Black Crackers The Atlanta Black Crackers (originally known as the Atlanta Cubs and later briefly the Indianapolis ABCs) were a professional Negro league baseball team which played during the early to mid-20th century. They were primarily a minor Negro league ...

. In 1940, he was named as the West team's starting pitcher in the annual

East-West All-Star Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *''East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salma ...

. During the game, he suffered control problems, walking five batters and giving up two runs in the loss. In his three years in Memphis, Bremer logged a 2-13 record in league play with a 3.72 ERA.

Kansas City Monarchs

Bremer joined the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 19 ...

late in the 1938 season, making three appearances in league play with a 1-0 record before returning to Memphis the following season.

Monterrey Industriales

Bremer briefly jumped South of the border and joined the

Monterrey Industriales Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

in 1939, logging a 1-2 record and 3.12 ERA in seven games before returning to Memphis in 1940.

Brief Retirement

Bremer briefly retired and did not play in the 1941 season.

Cincinnati/Cleveland Buckeyes

1942

In 1942, Bremer joined former Tigers teammates Bill Jefferson, Sonny Harris, and Ray Robinson on the expansion Cincinnati Buckeyes of the Negro American League. Posting a 5-1 record with a 2.73 ERA in league play, Bremer made the West All-Star team for the second time in his career. Two All-Star games were played in 1942, with Bremer earning the starting nod in the second game, hosted in Cleveland.

= Tryout with Indians

= On September 1, 1942, the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' reported that Bremer and teammate

Sam Jethroe Samuel Jethroe, nicknamed "The Jet" (January 23, 1917 – June 16, 2001), was an American center fielder in Negro league and Major League Baseball. With the Cincinnati & Cleveland Buckeyes he won a pair of batting titles, hit .340 over seven seas ...

were to receive tryouts from 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 ...

prior to the 1943 season. Indians president Alva Bradley quickly reneged on his promise, stating to the Cleveland ''

Call and Post The ''Call and Post'' (or ''Call & Post'') is an African-American weekly newspaper, based in Cleveland, Ohio. History The ''Call and Post'' was established around 1928 by a group of people including local African-American inventor Garrett A. Mo ...

'' that his scouts had seen Bremer, Jethroe, and a third Buckeye, Parnell Woods play in the second East-West Game on August 18 in Cleveland, and based upon that one viewing had decided that the three "did not stack up as material for the Indians".

= Car accident

= On September 7, one of three vehicles carrying Buckeyes players and staff crashed on Route 20 near

Geneva, Ohio Geneva is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The area which would become Geneva was originally settled in 1805, and was incorporated as a city in 1958. It is named after Geneva, New York. The population was 6,215 at the 2010 cens ...

. Teammates Ulysses Brown and Smoky Owens were killed instantly. Four other Buckeyes were injured including Bremer, who was hospitalized and missed the remainder of the season with a fractured skull and concussion.

1943

Bremer moved with the Buckeyes to Cleveland in 1943, posting a 4-3 record with a .494 ERA.

1944

In 1944, Bremer was rejected for military service and returned to the Buckeyes, logging a 5-2 record and 2.06 ERA. He was once again selected to play in the All Star Game, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings in the West's victory 7-4 over the East.

1945

Bremer was the ace of the Buckeyes pitching staff in 1945, posting a 7-1 record and 2.25 ERA in league play, earning another All-Star appearance and leading the Buckeyes to the Negro League World Series. Bremer closed out the All-Star game, coming in to record the final out of 9-6 West victory. In the World Series, Bremer was the star of game two, holding the

Homestead Grays The Homestead Grays (also known as Washington Grays or Washington Homestead Grays) were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 by Cumberland Posey, and remained in continuo ...

to two runs and knocking in the game winning run in the bottom of the ninth with a ground rule double. The Buckeyes went on to sweep the Grays 4-0 for the championship.

1946

Hampered by injuries, Bremer remained on the Buckeyes roster but was used less frequently, posting a 5.61 ERA in 33.2 innings.

1947

Bremer returned to the Buckeyes' deep pitching staff in 1947, primarily in a relief role. The Buckeyes won their second pennant in 3 years, but lost to the

New York Cubans The New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team that played during the 1930s and from 1939 to 1950. Despite playing in the Negro leagues, the team occasionally employed white-skinned Hispanic baseball players as well, because Hispanics in ...

in the Negro League World Series four games to one. In his only appearance in the series, Bremer gave up 6 runs and 12 hits in a 9-4 complete game loss.

1948

Bremer made only one recorded league appearance in 1948, starting and pitching a lone complete game loss.

1949

The Buckeyes moved to Louisville in 1949, and Bremer reported to the team prior to the season opener in May. In an interview with the ''Call and Post'', Bremer reported that he and at least 4 other players quit the team over unpaid salary.

Rochester Royals

In 1949, the semi-pro Rochester Royals of the Southern Minnesota League signed several Negro League players including Bremer. Bremer suffered from control issues in his first two starting appearances and was moved to left field before injuring himself on a slide into first base.

New Orleans Creoles

In addition to pitching in Rochester in 1949, Bremer returned to his hometown and briefly joined 1945 Buckeyes teammates Bill Jefferson and Buddy Armour on the independent New Orleans Creoles.

Death and legacy

Gene Bremer died at age 54 in Cleveland and is buried at Evergreen Memorial Park in Bedford Heights, Ohio. In 2011 Lorain High School honored Bremer between games of a doubleheader on "

Rube Foster Andrew "Rube" Foster (September 17, 1879 – December 9, 1930) was an American baseball player, manager, and executive in the Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981. Foster, considered by historians to have been per ...

Night", presenting a plaque to his family. Bremer had eight children and one of his grandsons,

J.R. Bremer Ernest Lenell "J. R." Bremer (born September 19, 1980) is a retired American-Bosnian former professional basketball player who last played for Limoges CSP of the LNB Pro A. Bremer has also played in the NBA and was an NBA All-Rookie second tea ...

, played professional basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Confusion with other players

While Gene Bremer is credited in other early sources with time on the Cedar Rapids Rockets, a Yankees farm team in 1949, the Gene Bremer listed on the team's rosters is a different player. The Bremers on the 1949 Rockets were twin brothers and Moville, Iowa natives Jack and Gene Bremer (of no relation).

References

External links

an
Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats
an
Seamheads
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bremer, Gene 1916 births 1971 deaths Kansas City Monarchs players Memphis Red Sox players New Orleans Crescent Stars players Cleveland Buckeyes players Baseball players from New Orleans Cincinnati Tigers (baseball) players 20th-century African-American sportspeople