Harry Brecheen
Born: 10/14/1914 in Broken Bow, OK, USA
Died: 1/17/2004 in Bethany, OK, USA
MLB Debut: 1940-04-22 | Final Game: 1953-09-13
Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 160 lbs
Full name: Harry David Brecheen
Biography
Harry Brecheen, born in 1914, was a prominent pitcher who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball during his career from 1940 to 1953. Known for his exceptional control and ability to pitch under pressure, Brecheen finished his career with a record of 133 wins and 92 losses, alongside an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.92. He struck out 901 batters and recorded 18 saves, showcasing his versatility and effectiveness as both a starter and a reliever. His skill on the mound earned him selection as an All-Star twice, highlighting his status among the elite pitchers of his time.
Brecheen's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, marked by the end of the deadball era and the increasing popularity of the sport in post-war America. He played a pivotal role for the St. Louis Cardinals, contributing to their 1944 World Series championship. Renowned for his crafty left-handed pitching, Brecheen was adept at using a mix of pitches to keep hitters off balance. His legacy is remembered not only for his achievements on the field but also for the influence he had on future generations of pitchers, reflecting the evolution of the game during his era.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 133 | 92 | 318 | 240 | 125 | 25 | 18 | 1907.7 | 1731 | 618 | 117 | 536 | 901 | 2.92 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | STL | NL | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0.00 | - |
| 1943 | STL | NL | 9 | 6 | 29 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 135.3 | 98 | 34 | 39 | 68 | 2.26 | - |
| 1944 | STL | NL | 16 | 5 | 30 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 189.3 | 174 | 60 | 46 | 88 | 2.85 | - |
| 1945 | STL | NL | 15 | 4 | 24 | 18 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 157.3 | 136 | 44 | 44 | 63 | 2.52 | - |
| 1946 | STL | NL | 15 | 15 | 36 | 30 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 231.3 | 212 | 64 | 67 | 117 | 2.49 | - |
| 1947 | STL | NL | 16 | 11 | 29 | 28 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 223.3 | 220 | 82 | 66 | 89 | 3.30 | - |
| 1948 | STL | NL | 20 | 7 | 33 | 30 | 21 | 7 | 1 | 233.3 | 193 | 58 | 49 | 149 | 2.24 | - |
| 1949 | STL | NL | 14 | 11 | 32 | 31 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 214.7 | 207 | 80 | 65 | 88 | 3.35 | - |
| 1950 | STL | NL | 8 | 11 | 27 | 23 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 163.3 | 151 | 69 | 45 | 80 | 3.80 | - |
| 1951 | STL | NL | 8 | 4 | 24 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 138.7 | 134 | 50 | 54 | 57 | 3.25 | - |
| 1952 | STL | NL | 7 | 5 | 25 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 100.3 | 82 | 37 | 28 | 54 | 3.32 | - |
| 1953 | SLA | AL | 5 | 13 | 26 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 117.3 | 122 | 40 | 31 | 44 | 3.07 | 1958.9 |
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 321 | 673 | 48 | 129 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 44 | 0 | 45 | 121 | 0.192 | 0.247 | 0.235 | 0.481 | -3017.2 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | STL | NL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0.0 |
| 1943 | STL | NL | 29 | 42 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0.190 | 0.0 |
| 1944 | STL | NL | 31 | 68 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 0.162 | -358.2 |
| 1945 | STL | NL | 24 | 57 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0.123 | -443.7 |
| 1946 | STL | NL | 37 | 83 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 0.133 | -759.1 |
| 1947 | STL | NL | 29 | 83 | 5 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0.241 | -220.4 |
| 1948 | STL | NL | 33 | 82 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 20 | 0.146 | -659.9 |
| 1949 | STL | NL | 32 | 77 | 8 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 0.273 | -165.3 |
| 1950 | STL | NL | 27 | 58 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0.241 | -164.5 |
| 1951 | STL | NL | 24 | 55 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0.218 | -246.1 |
| 1952 | STL | NL | 25 | 29 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0.207 | 0.0 |
| 1953 | SLA | AL | 27 | 39 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0.179 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.083 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | WS | SLN | 3 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.125 |
| 1944 | WS | SLN | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1943 | WS | SLN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Playoff Career Pitching
| W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 32.7 | 28 | 3 | 12 | 18 | 0.83 |
Playoff Pitching by Year
| Year | Round | Team | W | L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | WS | SLN | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 20.0 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 0.45 |
| 1944 | WS | SLN | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9.0 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1.00 |
| 1943 | WS | SLN | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2.45 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 318 | 0 | 78 | 376 | 8 | 22 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | SLN | P | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | SLN | P | 29 | 0 | 8 | 28 | 0 | 3 |
| 1944 | SLN | P | 30 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 0 | 2 |
| 1945 | SLN | P | 24 | 0 | 6 | 26 | 1 | 2 |
| 1946 | SLN | P | 36 | 0 | 11 | 50 | 1 | 6 |
| 1947 | SLN | P | 29 | 0 | 11 | 47 | 1 | 0 |
| 1948 | SLN | P | 33 | 0 | 5 | 45 | 0 | 2 |
| 1949 | SLN | P | 32 | 0 | 5 | 37 | 3 | 0 |
| 1950 | SLN | P | 27 | 0 | 11 | 25 | 0 | 1 |
| 1951 | SLN | P | 24 | 0 | 5 | 25 | 2 | 1 |
| 1952 | SLN | P | 25 | 0 | 8 | 26 | 0 | 3 |
| 1953 | SLA | P | 26 | 0 | 5 | 29 | 0 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 318 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P3 |
| 1948 | TSN All-Star | P |
| 1946 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P3 |
| 1945 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P1 |
| 1945 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | P2 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 5th | 61.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1946 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 16th | 14.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1945 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 12th | 31.0 | 336 | 0 |