St. Louis Browns 3B Bill Dalrymple was born on February7, 1891 in Baltimore, Maryland. There have been many players who had brief careers with the Browns, and there were several players whose careers were a mystery before reaching the Browns. Bill Dalrymple is an example of a player who fits both of those descriptions.
Dalrymple would pla
St. Louis Browns 3B Bill Dalrymple was born on February7, 1891 in Baltimore, Maryland. There have been many players who had brief careers with the Browns, and there were several players whose careers were a mystery before reaching the Browns. Bill Dalrymple is an example of a player who fits both of those descriptions.
Dalrymple would play in just three Major League games, all with the Browns. There is no record of him playing any minor league baseball before joining St. Louis. There is no transaction history of how he reached the Browns, or how he left the team.
The three games he appeared in came in July of 1915. He was not able to score a run, hit a ball, steal a base, or hit a fly ball to the outfield. But he lived a Major League Baseball dream. July 6 - Bill Dalrymple would enter the game against the Chicago White Sox in the top of the seventh inning. He replaced 3B Jimmy Austin and batted second in the lineup. In the bottom of the seventh inning, he would ground out to Chicago pitcher Red Faber. The Browns lost 12-2 to the White Sox. July 13 - In the first game of a double header against the Washington Senators, Dalrymple would pinch hit for RHP Walt Leverenz in the bottom of the ninth inning. He would hit a line drive to 2B Eddie Foster, in the Browns 3-2 loss. July 22 - Dalrymple would pinch run for 1B John Leary in the bottom of the ninth inning. He would not get a chance to advance from first base, as the Browns lost to the Boston Red Sox, 7-3. This would wrap up the career of Browns 3B Bill Dalrymple.
There are no records of his life after playing for the Browns. It is known that he settled down in San Diego, California, and lived a long life. It would be safe to say that he told stories of the three games he played with the Browns. He was able to live out a dream that most of us would also have treasured. That is why this website tells stories like Bill Dalrymple.
Today's Browns Quote
“He paid for himself in three games after he was bought. He had added many thousands to the exchequer [sic] since that time–paid admissions that would never have arrived at the gate but for the fact that Rube was scheduled to work"
~ John L. Wray, St. Louis Post Dispatch, on the addition of Rube Waddell to the Browns,
Today's Browns Quote
“He paid for himself in three games after he was bought. He had added many thousands to the exchequer [sic] since that time–paid admissions that would never have arrived at the gate but for the fact that Rube was scheduled to work"
~ John L. Wray, St. Louis Post Dispatch, on the addition of Rube Waddell to the Browns, August 15, 1909
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1871 - 3B Bill Dalrymple (1915)
2023 - OF Mel Almada (1938)
TRANSACTIONS
1908 - Browns purchase the contract of George Edward Waddell from the Philadelphia Athletics. Better known as 'Rube" Waddell, the Browns would be his final stop in a 13 year MLB career. Waddell would build a resume that would take him to the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, in which he was elected in 1946. Prior to the 1908 season, Waddell had spent the previous 6 seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics. He won 131 games in his time with the A's, with an amazing ERA of 1.97. But the outlandish personality of Rube Waddell did not work well with the historic leadership of Philadelphia's manager, Connie Mack. Waddell was known for often leaving the team to wrestle aligators, go fishing, impromptu leading of parades, or just sitting under a shade tree. Mack had enough of Waddell's antics and sold him to the Browns for an undisclosed amount. Waddell would be a huge star in St. Louis. In his first appearance vs his old team, Rube would strikeout 16 A's on July 29, 1908. In that season he would lead the American League with 7.3 strikeouts over 9 innings pitched. He would also not give up a Home Run during that first season in St. Louis. In his three seasons, he would accumulate a 33-29 record with an ERA of 2.19
1927 - The Browns trade UTIL Cedric Durst and LHP Joe Giard to the New York Yankees for RHP Sam Jones. Durst played three seasons with the Browns (1922-23, 26), appearing in 140 games where he hit eight home runs with a .234 batting average. Giard appeared in 250.2 innings over 52 games in 1925-26. He reached a 13-15 record with 61 strikeouts. RHP Sad Sam Jones would spend just one season with the Browns. He would have an 8-14 record, with 72 strikeouts, and a 4.32 ERA.
The 1953 season would be the final campaign for the Browns in St. Louis. The team would be sold to a group in Baltimore and they would become the Orioles for the 1954 season. History has stated that the Browns' time in St. Louis was over. That owner Bill Veeck had used up every crazy idea to keep the Browns in St. Louis alive.
The 1953 B
The 1953 season would be the final campaign for the Browns in St. Louis. The team would be sold to a group in Baltimore and they would become the Orioles for the 1954 season. History has stated that the Browns' time in St. Louis was over. That owner Bill Veeck had used up every crazy idea to keep the Browns in St. Louis alive.
The 1953 Browns would lose 100 games while winning only 54. They were managed by the Marty Marion, the St. Louis legend and winner of the 1944 National League MVP award. This team had older players like Harry Breechen, Max Lanier, and Bob Elliot, looking to make one last memory in the game. This team had one of the greatest pitchers of all time in Satchel Paige, and at the age of 47 he was still an All Star.
This team was full of younger talent that would make up the Orioles teams of the 50s. Players like Billy Hunter, Clint Courtney, Bobby Young, and Dick Kryhoski would move with the team, but many still see them as Browns.
This team may not have won many games, or made millions at the box office. But the memories of this 1953 team help fuel the legacy of the St. Louis Browns. They are the reasons why many still share stories of the Browns , and keep the memories of the players and teams alive. They are the reasons why the St. Louis Browns Historical Society was created, and meets throughout the years.