Kevin Brown (right-handed pitcher)

James Kevin Brown (born March 14, 1965)[1] is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played from 1986 to 2005, leading the American League in wins once and leading the National League in earned run average twice. He was also a six-time All-Star.

For the pitcher who played from 1990 to 1992, see Kevin Brown (left-handed pitcher). For other people with this name, see Kevin Brown (disambiguation).
Kevin Brown
Pitcher
Born: (1965-03-14) March 14, 1965
Milledgeville, Georgia
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 30, 1986, for the Texas Rangers
Last MLB appearance
July 23, 2005, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
Win–loss record211–144
Earned run average3.28
Strikeouts2,397
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Amateur years

Brown attended Wilkinson County High School in Irwinton, Georgia, and was a student and a letterman in football, baseball, and tennis. Brown played three years of college baseball at Georgia Tech for their baseball team.

Professional career

Texas Rangers

In 1986, Brown was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round (fourth pick overall). Starting in 1989, Brown was second in the Rangers' rotation behind ace Nolan Ryan and posted a 12–9 record with a 3.35 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 1989 and a 12–10 record with a 3.60 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 1990. By 1992, Brown had improved his record with the Rangers to a 21–11 with 173 strikeouts and a 3.32 ERA, was tied for the league lead in victories and was the first since Ferguson Jenkins in 1974 to win 20 games in a Ranger uniform.[2]

Baltimore Orioles
1995 Baltimore Orioles #41 Kevin Brown road jersey

Brown became a free agent following the strike settlement in 1994 and signed with the Baltimore Orioles for a season, posting a 10–9 record with 117 strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA.

Florida Marlins

Following the 1995 season, Brown again became a free agent, signing with the Florida Marlins. In his first season with the Marlins, Brown posted a 17–11 record with 159 strikeouts and an MLB best 1.89 ERA, finishing second in the Cy Young Award voting.

In 1997, Brown threw a one-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers in his first appearance and a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants on June 10, 1997. The only baserunner in the game for the Giants came via a HBP with two outs and two strikes in the eighth inning.

In the 1997 National League Championship Series, Brown, riddled with the flu, proceeded to pitch a complete game in Game Six, defeating the Atlanta Braves and helping the Marlins reach the World Series, which they eventually won over the Cleveland Indians.

San Diego Padres

Following the disassembly of the Marlins' championship team, Brown was traded to the San Diego Padres for Derrek Lee and prospects, where he pitched one season. He posted an 18–7 record with a career-high 257 strikeouts and a 2.38 ERA, finishing third in the Cy Young Award voting.

Masterful during the National League Division Series against the Houston Astros,[3] San Diego won both of Brown's starts by a 2–1 score.[4] As the Game 1 starter opposing Randy Johnson, he allowed no runs in eight innings and struck out 16 Astros, a career-high, and second to that point in MLB playoff history only to Bob Gibson's 17-strikeout performance in the 1968 World Series.[5]

He helped to lead the Padres to the World Series, but not before blowing a save in Game 5 of the NLCS during a rare relief appearance. The Padres would then lose to the New York Yankees in the 1998 World Series in a four-game sweep.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Following the 1998 season, Brown again became a free agent. He signed a lucrative contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 7 years/$105 million USD, becoming the first $100 million man in baseball. Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes called the contract "one of the worst deals ever from a team's point of view" because Brown averaged only nine wins per season and was frequently injured during the seven years of the deal. That contract was once listed as the 82nd largest in the history of sports tied with NBA Star Juwan Howard.[6]

His first season in Los Angeles, he posted an 18–9 record with 221 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA. After leading the NL in ERA during an injury-plagued 2000 season, his performance began to dwindle as Brown was hampered by injuries and poor run support. In 2003, Brown rebounded, producing a respectable 14–9 record with 185 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA.[7]

New York Yankees

On December 11, 2003, Brown was traded to the New York Yankees as part of a deal that sent Jeff Weaver, Yhency Brazobán, Brandon Weeden, and $2.6 million in cash to Los Angeles. In 2004, he posted a 10–6 record with a 4.09 ERA, but experienced health problems during the season. Toward the end of the season, he punched a wall in frustration,[8] injuring his hand. He pitched well in the Division Series, but it was his performance in Game 7 of the 2004 American League Championship Series that he is remembered for, lasting less than two innings while giving up five earned runs, including a two-run homer to David Ortiz.

Brown attempted to come back in 2005 but missed several games during the season due to injury. He went 4–7 with a 6.50 ERA. On February 20, 2006, Brown announced his retirement.[9]

Mitchell Report

The Mitchell Report named Brown as one of a group of Los Angeles Dodgers implicated in steroid use. The report documents allegations by Kirk Radomski that he sold Brown human growth hormone and Deca-Durabolin over a period of two or three years beginning in either 2000 or 2001. Radomski claims he was introduced to Brown by Paul Lo Duca. Radomski's claims were supported by an Express Mail receipt dated June 7, 2004, addressed to Brown. The report also contains notes from a meeting of Dodgers executives in 2003 during which they question the medication Brown takes and include a note stating "Steroids speculated by GM". Brown declined to meet with the Mitchell investigators.[10]

Plaschke states that by 2003 "it was obvious to me...(and) Dodger management that...(he was) probably on steroids. We would even talk about it while watching their bulging, straining bodies from the dugout during batting practice. But the players would admit nothing, so there was nothing I could write.".[11] Brown's temper tantrums, he notes, may have in fact been "'roid rage."

Pitching assessment

Brown was a pitcher who had the rare talent of relying both on movement and velocity. His main pitch was a sinking fastball that averaged 91–96 mph, with tremendous tailing, downward movement. He could spot it to either side of the plate. Batters facing him generally pounded this pitch into the ground or missed it entirely. He complemented this pitch with a sharp slider in the high 80s, and a solid split fingered fastball he used against left-handed hitters or for another look.[12]

Over his career, Brown won 211 games and finished his career with a 127 ERA+ (27% better than the league-wide earned run average). Only seven pitchers have won between 200 and 220 wins with an ERA+ between 120 and 135.[13] Of those seven, Stan Coveleski (215 wins, 128 ERA+), John Smoltz (213/125), Don Drysdale (209/121), and Hal Newhouser (207/130) are in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Only Curt Schilling and Eddie Cicotte (209/123) of Black Sox infamy have been excluded.

Personal life

Brown currently resides in Macon, Georgia with his wife Candace, and four sons: Ridge, Grayson, Dawson, and Maclain. He is currently an assistant baseball coach at Tattnall Square Academy.[14]

See also

References
  1. "Kevin Brown Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  2. https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TEX/leaders_pitch.shtml
  3. Swydan, Paul (May 17, 2013). "The 1998 Astros were pretty good at hitting". Fangraphs. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  4. Newhan, Ross (October 5, 1998). "Once again, Biggio Bagwell and Bell are wannabes in playoffs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  5. Newhan, Ross (September 30, 1998). "Powerful Astros are shut down by a Brown out". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  6. ESPN – Pavano, Beltre haven't lived up to contracts – MLB
  7. Plaschke, Bill (2007-12-14). "A sullied part of Dodgers' history". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
  8. Orioles 3, Yankees 1 Yahoo sports
  9. "Seattle Post-Intelligencer: MLB".
  10. "Mitchell Report pp. 214-17" (PDF).
  11. Plaschke, Bill (2007-12-14). "A sullied part of Dodgers' history". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
  12. "The Scout's View: Padres". CNN. October 7, 1998. Archived from the original on 2013-03-18.
  13. http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/6723/does-kevin-brown-have-coop-case
  14. "Boys' Baseball Overview". Tattnall Square. Archived from the original on 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2010-04-18.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Jack Morris		 American League All-Star Game Starting Pitcher
1992		 Succeeded by
Mark Langston
Preceded by
Hideo Nomo		 No-hitter pitcher
June 10, 1997		 Succeeded by
Francisco Córdova & Ricardo Rincón
Preceded by
Ramón Martínez
Chan-Ho Park		 Los Angeles Dodgers Opening Day
Starting pitcher
1999–2000
2002		 Succeeded by
Chan-Ho Park
Hideo Nomo
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