World War II hero and St. Louis Browns outfielder, Earl Rapp, was born on May 21, 1921 in Corunna, Michigan. The Browns pinch hitter and right fielder only played 56 games for St. Louis, but batted .327 as a primary outfielder in the last month of the 1951 season. Nicknamed "Rappy", he would build a baseball career that lasted almost 50
World War II hero and St. Louis Browns outfielder, Earl Rapp, was born on May 21, 1921 in Corunna, Michigan. The Browns pinch hitter and right fielder only played 56 games for St. Louis, but batted .327 as a primary outfielder in the last month of the 1951 season. Nicknamed "Rappy", he would build a baseball career that lasted almost 50 years. His professional playing career would extend over 16 seasons, but only three of them would be in the Major Leagues.
Rapp started his career in 1940 at the age of 18, with the Class D Wausau Timberjacks of the Northern League. He would play for five teams before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1943 to serve in World War II. He would see active duty in the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of Colmar Pocket. He would be honored with the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his courageous service in battle.
In 1946, he returned to baseball as a prospect within the Detroit Tigers organization. He worked his way up through the Tigers ranks, and made his MLB debut on April 28, 1949 against the St. Louis Browns. After spending time with the Tigers (1949), Chicago White Sox (1949), and New York Giants (1951), the Browns acquired Earl Rapp on September 1, 1951, after he was placed on waivers by the Giants.
In September of 1951, he would hit .327 and slug his only two major league home runs. With the Browns focused on him becoming a starting outfielder, Rapp started slow for the 1952 Browns. He only had seven hits and drove in four runs, while batting a surprising .143 in 30 games. On June 10, 1952, the Browns traded Rapp to the Washington Nationals for INF Fred Marsh. He would only play 46 games for Washington before returning to the minor leagues.
By the time Rapp retired from playing baseball, he played 15 seasons of minor league baseball, most of that time was spent in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). He would play for the Seattle Rainiers (1948), Oakland Oaks (1949-51), San Diego padres (1953-57), and the Portland Beavers (1957). He would record a career minor league batting average of .313, with 1999 hits, and 203 home runs. It is no surprise that he was inducted into the PCL Hall of Fame in 2004.
After his playing career was over, he became a respected scout across baseball from 1960-89.He scouted for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros, Kansas City Royals, Monreal Expos , Cincinnati Reds, and Philadelphia Phillies.
He may not have left his name throughout the MLB record books, but Earl Rapp proudly served his country, and his love of baseball across his entire life.
HEADLINE
"BROWNS SCORE FOUR RUNS IN LAST FRAME TO STEAL WIN FROM INDIANS"
FEATURED GAMES
1933 - St. Louis defeats the Cleveland Indians, 8-7, as the Browns score four runs as six consecutive hitters reach base in the top of the ninth inning. After a fly ball out to start the ninth, CF Fred Schulte would get on base with a walk. 1B Jack Burns
HEADLINE
"BROWNS SCORE FOUR RUNS IN LAST FRAME TO STEAL WIN FROM INDIANS"
FEATURED GAMES
1933 - St. Louis defeats the Cleveland Indians, 8-7, as the Browns score four runs as six consecutive hitters reach base in the top of the ninth inning. After a fly ball out to start the ninth, CF Fred Schulte would get on base with a walk. 1B Jack Burns, RF Bruce Campbell, LF Goose Goslin, and C Rick Ferrell would each single and drive in a run. The winning run would come as Goslin scored on a fielder choice error of the bat of Oscar Melillo. The Browns would tally 11 singles in the game, and every Browns player would register a hit. Bump Hadley would enter the game in the ninth inning to earn the save, as Chad Kimsey won his second game of the season.
BROWNS' ALL-TIME RECORD ON THIS DAY
22 WINS, 22 LOSSES
WINS BY DECADE
1902-09: 3-3
1910-19: 7-1
1920-29: 3-5
1930-39: 5-4
1940-49: 2-7
1950-53: 2-2
DOUBLE-HEADERS:
Split series in 1950 (PHA)
Lost series in 1944
(NYY - Lost Game One to walk off)
TRANSACTIONS
1935 - Browns traded RHP George Blaeholder to Philadelphia Athletics for Sugar Cain and Ed Coleman. For ten years, Blaeholder was a workhorse for the Browns pitching staff. He would appear in 1631 innings, over 280 games, striking out 520 batters. He would reach 90 wins and a 4.55 ERA for the Browns. RHP Merritt Patrick "Sugar" Cain would appear in 35 games for the Browns in 1935-36. In those two seasons, he would earn a 10-9 record, with 76 strikeouts and an ERA of 5.38. RF Ed Coleman was a solid bat for the the Browns in 1935-36. As the starting right fielder he would appear in 200 games, hitting 19 home runs, while driving in 105 runs, and batting .288.
DEBUTS
NO DEBUTS MADE ON THIS DAY
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1921 - RF Earl Rapp (1951-52)
The 1947 St. Louis Browns pitching staff was not the model in which pitching staffs wish to be built. The staff was found at the bottom of most pitching categories in the American League. They did lead the league in some categories, but they were the ones most staffs don't want to be the best at (home runs and hits allowed for example). T
The 1947 St. Louis Browns pitching staff was not the model in which pitching staffs wish to be built. The staff was found at the bottom of most pitching categories in the American League. They did lead the league in some categories, but they were the ones most staffs don't want to be the best at (home runs and hits allowed for example). They only had one pitcher record double digits in wins, while having six pitchers record double digit loses. They were a staff that was known for folding under pressure. The entire team, over the entire season, only had 13 saves in 154 games. They were still looking for their ace to lead the staff, which would come the following year when Ned Garver joins the staff.
Team Pitching Statistics
Player Statistics