Herbert James "Duke" Brett (May 23, 1900 – November 25, 1974) was a professional

baseball player Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding te ...

. He was 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 ...

over parts of two seasons (1924–25) with the Chicago Cubs. For his career, he compiled a 1–1 record, with a 3.97

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 ...

, and 7 strikeouts in 22.2 innings pitched. Brett signed with the Cubs as an amateur

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 1924. He made his major league debut as the Cubs' starting pitcher on August 8, 1924 in a 10–7 win over the Boston Braves. Brett did not figure in the decision. It was his only appearance in his rookie year. In 1925, Brett appeared in ten games for the Cubs, starting just one. His final appearance of the season was August 5, in a 7–6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. On that day, Brett also picked up his one and only major league win. For the season, Brett posted a 3.63 ERA and a record of 1-1. Brett went on to a long career as a minor league manager, serving as skipper for the

Danville Leafs The Danville Leafs were a professional minor league baseball team that played in the city of Danville, Virginia. During 1935–1942, they were also known as the Danville-Schoolfield Leafs. History Professional baseball first made its appearance i ...

Rocky Mount Red Sox ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burges ...

Little Rock Travelers The Little Rock Travelers were an American minor league baseball team located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and members (1902–1910, 1915–1958, 1960–1961) of the Southern Association, which as a Class A, A1 or Double-A circuit was typically two ...

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. ...

, Wellsville Yankees,

Hagerstown Owls The Hagerstown Owls were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. The team played in the Inter-State League (1941–1952) and the Piedmont League (1953–1955). Their home games were played in Municipal Sta ...

Reidsville Luckies The Reidsville Luckies were a minor league baseball team based in Reidsville, North Carolina, USA. They played in the Bi-State League from 1935–1940 and returned in 1947 as part of the Tri-State League in 1947. They switched to the Carolina Leag ...

, Raleigh Capitals, Wichita Indians, and

Winston-Salem Twins Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

over a twenty-year career from 1934 to 1954. He was born in

Lawrenceville, Virginia Lawrenceville is a town in Brunswick County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,438 at the 2010 census. Located by the Meherrin River, it is the county seat of Brunswick County. In colonial times, Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswoo ...

and later died in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

at the age of 74.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, Duke 1900 births 1974 deaths Chicago Cubs players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Virginia Minor league baseball managers Wichita Falls Spudders players Birmingham Barons players Seattle Indians players Bridgeport Bears (baseball) players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Allentown Dukes players Canton Terriers players Norfolk Tars players York White Roses players Richmond Colts players Danville Leafs players Allentown Wings players Hagerstown Owls players Winston-Salem Twins players People from Lawrenceville, Virginia