St. Louis Browns utility player, Lou Finney, was born on August 13, 1910 in Buffalo, Alabama. He would be the second MLB player from Buffalo, following his older brother, Hal Finney. They would both make their major league debuts in 1931 and would combine for 1375 hits in 1393 total MLB games. While Hal Finney would spend five seasons in
St. Louis Browns utility player, Lou Finney, was born on August 13, 1910 in Buffalo, Alabama. He would be the second MLB player from Buffalo, following his older brother, Hal Finney. They would both make their major league debuts in 1931 and would combine for 1375 hits in 1393 total MLB games. While Hal Finney would spend five seasons in the 'Majors", brother Lou would spend 15 of his 20-year professional career in the big leagues.
Lou Finney was a three-sport athlete at Five Points High School (Alabama), but began to focus in baseball after breaking both legs playing football. He was playing in a semipro league in Akron, Ohio in 1929 when he began to be noticed by professional scouts. He would sign his first professional contract with the Carrollton Champs of the Georgia-Alabama League in 1930. The Philadelphia Athletics would prurchase Finney's contract from Carrollton, and he would start the 1931 season with the Harrisburg Senators and then play for the York White Roses.
Lou Finney would make his MLB debut on September 12, 1931 against the St. Louis Browns. After splitting the 1932 seasons between the Portland Beavers and Montreal Royals, Finney would return to the Athletics and become a solid player from 1933-39. Midway through the season, he would be traded to the Boston Red Sox, where he held an outfield position for six more years (1939-42, 44-45).
During World War II, many players joined the service in order to fight for their country. Finney decided to step away from baseball to oversee his farm in Alabama. The draft board allowed Finney to return to his farm so that he could help provide the nation with agricultural goods from his land. Following the Allies success at D-Day, Finney returned to the Boston roster and hit .287 in 68 games in the last two months of the 1944 season. The Alabama draft board contacted Finney and reminded him that his obligation was to his farm during the war, and blocked him from any baseball until the official end of the war.
On July 27, 1945, the Boston Red Sox sold Lou Finney' s contract to the St. Louis Browns. He would appear in 51 games for St. Louis in the final weeks of the season recording 59 hits, eight doubles, four triples, two home runs and 22 RBIs. He batted .277 with the Browns, while drawing 21 walks and striking out just six times. His finest moment came on August 1, when he hit a grand slam off Detroit's Dizzy Trout in the Browns 8-7 loss.
As the 1946 season started, many of the Browns' player who went off to war were returning to the teams' lineup. The 35-year-old veteran was losing time to the younger players. Finney would play in just16 games in 1945 before the Browns released him on May 29, 1946.
Of the 73 games Finney played with the Browns (1945-46), he spent 43 games in the outfield, 22 games at first base, and 11 games as a pinch hitter. He had 68 hits, 25 runs batted in, and batted .280.
He would spend the final six years of his career in the minor leagues. He played for the Opelika Owls and Valley Rebels in 1946, before starting the following season on the Philadelphia Phillies roster. The Phillies would release Finney after going hitless in four games. He returned to the minors as a player-manager for the St. Petersburg Sailnts from 1947-48. He would go on to lead the West Palm Beach Indians (1949), Temple Eagles (1950), and the Lincoln Chiefs (1953).
Lou Finney would settle down on the family farm in Chambers County, Alabama. He ran the family farm with his brother Hal, until his untimely passing in 1966.
HEADLINES
"GEORGE SISLER HITS HIS SECOND 'CYCLE' OF HIS CAREER AGAINST THE DETROIT TIGERS"
FEATURED GAME
1921 - George Sisler hits for the Cycle vs Detroit as Browns win 7-5. Sisler would be a perfect 5-for-5 against Detroit's RHP Carl Holling. Sisler started the game with a triple in the first inning. He would hit his home run in the fourth
HEADLINES
"GEORGE SISLER HITS HIS SECOND 'CYCLE' OF HIS CAREER AGAINST THE DETROIT TIGERS"
FEATURED GAME
1921 - George Sisler hits for the Cycle vs Detroit as Browns win 7-5. Sisler would be a perfect 5-for-5 against Detroit's RHP Carl Holling. Sisler started the game with a triple in the first inning. He would hit his home run in the fourth inning, and then follow up with two doubles (fifth and seventh inning). His final at bat would be an RBI single in the ninth. Sisler would finish the game with three runs driven in.
The game would come down to the tenth inning, where the game was tied at four runs a piece. The Browns would score three runs without Sisler being involved in any of the scoring plays. After LF Ken Willimas singles, he is driven in by Catcher Hank Severeid's extra base hit. Severeid would be driven by 2B Marty McManus' sacrifice hit to left field. After SS Wally Gerber earns a walk and makes his way to third base, he would be driven in by RF Jack Tobin. All three of these runs would be unearned runs due to walks or errors by the Tigers
BROWNS RECORD ON THIS DAY
Overall Record on August 13
23 Wins, 18 Losses (.560)
1902-09: 4-1
1910-19: 3-2
1920-29: 3-4
1930-39: 6-4
1940-49: 5-6
1950-53: 2-1
DOUBLE HEADERS
Sweeps: 0
Splits: 6
Swept: 2
TRANSACTIONS
DEBUTS
There were no debuts on this day
BROWNS BIRTHDAYS ON AUGUST 13
1886 - LHP Lefty George (1911)
1910 - UTIL Lou Finney (1945-46)
The 1903 St. Louis Browns pitching staff was made up of just 10 pitchers, four of which had over 65 innings pitched. The "starting staff" was made up of four pitchers that appeared in 80% of all innings in 1903. Because of this lack of depth, the Browns staff would be seen at the top, or very bottom, of most pitching categories. The best
The 1903 St. Louis Browns pitching staff was made up of just 10 pitchers, four of which had over 65 innings pitched. The "starting staff" was made up of four pitchers that appeared in 80% of all innings in 1903. Because of this lack of depth, the Browns staff would be seen at the top, or very bottom, of most pitching categories. The best pitcher on the staff was Jack "Red" Powell, who had a Hall of Fame career and the only winning record on the staff. The Browns did lead the league in the "control" categories with zero balks, walks per nine innings (1.7), and fewest walks allowed (237).
Team Pitching Statistics
(American League Rankings)
Player Statistics