St. Louis Browns second baseman, Benny Bowcock, was born on October 28, 1879 in Fall River, Massachusetts. He would join the Browns in the final month of the 1903 and prove to be a valuable asset to the lineup. His bat was more productive that September than future Hall of Famers, Jesse Burkett and Bobby Wallace. Bowcock was looking to be
St. Louis Browns second baseman, Benny Bowcock, was born on October 28, 1879 in Fall River, Massachusetts. He would join the Browns in the final month of the 1903 and prove to be a valuable asset to the lineup. His bat was more productive that September than future Hall of Famers, Jesse Burkett and Bobby Wallace. Bowcock was looking to be the Browns' second baseman for the following seasons, if his fielding could just match his offensive production.
Benny Bowcock began his career in 1902 with his home town team, the Fall River Indians. He would spend ten of his 14 seasons (1902-06, 08-12) with the Indians, recording over 100 hits in seven of the ten campaigns. He finished the 1903 season with 106 hits in 90 games reaching a .294 average with Fall River.
The Browns were looking for some help at second base in 1903, and signed Bowcock for the last month (there is no transaction history for this move). The Browns had two second baseman on their roster, but neither Bill Friel (.228) or Dick Padden (.202) were helping out much in the offensive categories.
Benny Bowcock made his MLB debut on September 18, 1903 against the Philadelphia Athletics. He would start at second base, and go 1-for-4 with a double, run scored, and an RBI in the 7-5 loss. Bowcock would appear in 14 games over the final three weeks of the season, registering at least one hit in 10 of the 14 games he played. His best game came against the legendary Cy Young and the Boston American on September 26. He would hit his only major league home run off Cy Young, on his way to scoring two runs and driving in two more. Bowcock would be the only player on the Browns roster to slug over .400 and record an OPS of over .800 in 1903. His final statistics over 14 games included three doubles, triple, home run, ten RBIs, 24 total bases, a .320 batting average, .480 slugging percentage, and an .838 OPS.
Unfortunately, Benny Bowcock was not an asset in the field. He led the team with seven errors in the time he played with the Browns, and his .885 fielding percentage was the lowest of any infielder on the team. These rough numbers in the field did not earn Bowcock an invitation to the 1904 Browns team.
Bowcock returned to the Fall River Indians in 1904. He would later see time with the Columbus Senators (1904), Little Rock Travelers (1907), Johnstown Johnnies (1908), Portland Duffs (1913-14), Lowell Grays (1915), and the Seattle Giants (1915).
Benny Bowcock would settle down in New Bedford, Massachusetts, after his playing days were over. He would raise his family, be an active member in his local parish, and brag about hitting a home run off the great Cy Young (there is no proof to this last statement, but wouldn't most boast that accomplishment)
TOP 100 Browns Countdown
This website has the only Top 100 list of famous St Louis Browns players. Please feel free to free to visit the tab about for the complete list. Here is a brief portion of the list that recognizes some of the best players in the history of the St. Louis Browns.
Players #56-60
56) Bob Muncrief, P, 1937, 1939
TOP 100 Browns Countdown
This website has the only Top 100 list of famous St Louis Browns players. Please feel free to free to visit the tab about for the complete list. Here is a brief portion of the list that recognizes some of the best players in the history of the St. Louis Browns.
Players #56-60
56) Bob Muncrief, P, 1937, 1939, 1940-47 - American League All Star (1944) Lead the American League in 1945 with a Winning Percentage of .765, and in 1947 with a 1.000 Fielding Percentage. Pitched 4 innings of Relief in Game 2 of the 1944 World Series. Worked in a Houston Shipyard during WW2 and the 1944 Season
57) Alvin Crowder, P, 1927-30 - "General", Lead the American League in1928 with a .808 Winning Percentage. Only walked 91 batters in the 244 Innings Pitched. Was traded by irate Browns owner after Crowder threw a baseball that almost hit the Phil Ball while in his box
58) Don Gutteridge, 2B, 1942-45 - Former member of the St Louis Cardinals Gashouse Gang of the 1930s. In 1942, he lead the American League in Pututs (377) and Assists (434). He was the last surviving member of the 1944 Championship team at the time of his passing. (2008)
59) Lyn Lary, SS, 1935-36, 1940 - "Broadway" His nickname was given to him by Babe Ruth for his love of the New York Theater. His best season was in 1936, when he lead the AL in Plate Appearances (745), Stolen Bases (37), Put Outs from SS (339), and Assists from SS (495)
60) Wally Schang - C/OF, 1926-29 - Schang was an anchor for the Yankees and Red Sox, and came to the Browns late in his career. He enjoyed on of his best seasons with a .330 Batting Average, .405 OBP, and a .516 Slugging, while Throwing Out 56.9% Base Runners. He was known as one of the Most Athletic Catchers of the Era
THERE WERE NO TRANSACTIONS ON THIS DAY
BROWNS BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1907 - RHP George Hennessey (1937)
1890 - SS Doc Lavan (1919-24)
1879 - 2B Benny Bowcock (1903)
The St. Louis Browns offense in 1931 is a confusing group to breakdown. They would appear in the lower half of most offensive categories, but they had very good individual seasons. Of the eight playes in the starting lineup, five players would hit over .300 while playing more than 117 games. Catcher Rick Ferrell (.306), 2B Oscar Melillo (
The St. Louis Browns offense in 1931 is a confusing group to breakdown. They would appear in the lower half of most offensive categories, but they had very good individual seasons. Of the eight playes in the starting lineup, five players would hit over .300 while playing more than 117 games. Catcher Rick Ferrell (.306), 2B Oscar Melillo (.306), 3B Red Kress (.311), CF Fred Schulte (.304), and LF Goose Goslin (.328) would all have some of their best seasons at the plate. This group would account for 64% of all doubles hit, 71% of all the home runs, and 63% of all runs driven in. Consider the team overall batting average was .271, it is surprising that they were still ranked fifth in the league in 1931.
Batting Leaders with A.L. rankings in (#)
Team Statistics:
Player Statistics