St. Louis Browns LF Joe Vosmik was born on April 4, 1910 in Cleveland, Ohio. He would only spend one season with the Browns, but he was one of the most productive players on the team that season. He would play 144 games and bat a stellar .325.
Joe Vosmik started his MLB career with his home town team, the Cleveland Indians in 1930. He wo
St. Louis Browns LF Joe Vosmik was born on April 4, 1910 in Cleveland, Ohio. He would only spend one season with the Browns, but he was one of the most productive players on the team that season. He would play 144 games and bat a stellar .325.
Joe Vosmik started his MLB career with his home town team, the Cleveland Indians in 1930. He would spend the first half of that season batting .397 with the Terre Haute Tots. His MLB debut was with the Indians on September 13, 1930, He would spend the next six seasons with the Indians, while making the All Star Game in 1935.
The Browns acquired Joe Vosmik along with Oral Hildenbrand and Bill Knickerbocker from the Indians on December 2, 1937. The Browns sent Ivy Andrews, Lyn Lary, and Moose Solters to the Indians to complete the trade. He was a major addition for the Browns. He would record 19 hits in his first 10 games in St. Louis. By the end of the season , he had ripped 193 hits including 47 doubles, nine triples, four home runs, and driving in 93 runs. The Browns had one of the great outfields that season, with all three outfielders hitting over .320 (Vosmik .325, Sam West .328, Beau Bell .340).
Vosmik was so good, the Browns took advantage of his production and traded him to the Boston Red Sox. In return the Browns received Bobo Newsom, Red Kress, and Buster Mills. He would spend two season with the Red Sox (1938-39), two with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1940-41), and a single season with the Washington Nationals (1944).
After suffering through a chronic leg injury, Vosmik would retire from baseball on February 21, 1945. In his retirement he managed in the minor leagues, and scouted for the Indians for three seasons.
After a successful operation to remove a lung tumor, he would contract pneumonia as pass on January 27, 1962. He would be inducted into the Ohio Baseball Hall of Fame.
BROWNS DAILY QUOTE
“When I was in the fourth grade I began playing truant to go to the Indians’ ball park and watch the big league players. Soon after, I began finding ways and means of sneaking into the stadium but most of the time I was kicked out as soon as I got in. But I had made up my mind to be a professional ballplayer and nothing
BROWNS DAILY QUOTE
“When I was in the fourth grade I began playing truant to go to the Indians’ ball park and watch the big league players. Soon after, I began finding ways and means of sneaking into the stadium but most of the time I was kicked out as soon as I got in. But I had made up my mind to be a professional ballplayer and nothing discouraged me.”
~ Browns outfielder, Joe Vosmik
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1910 - LF Joe Vosmik (1937)
TRANSACTIONS
1952 - The Browns send the player contract of RHP Jim Suchecki to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Suchecki had been traded to the Browns in May of 1951. He would appear in 29 games with the Browns in the last half of the 1951 season. He started six games and finished 11 games. In the 89.1 innings pitched he would strikeout 47 batters while issuing 42 walks. His ERA with the Browns was a rough 5.42, and a 0-6 record. When he arrived in Pittsburgh he would move directly to the bullpen. He would only appear in five games with the Pirates (ten total innings), striking out five batters and giving away four walks. His ERA remained at 5.40. He would be released by the Pirates on May 5, only to be picked up by the Chicago White Sox.
The 1929 St. Louis Browns ended the decade in the middle of the pack in the American League. The team would finish with a 79-73 and finish fourth. That would place them in the first division for the second consecutive year
{Prior to 1969, the teams that finished in the top half of the standings would receive more revenue from gate receipt
The 1929 St. Louis Browns ended the decade in the middle of the pack in the American League. The team would finish with a 79-73 and finish fourth. That would place them in the first division for the second consecutive year
{Prior to 1969, the teams that finished in the top half of the standings would receive more revenue from gate receipts and player pools from Major League Baseball. Basically, the better the finished the more money they received from MLB to spend on better players}.
The 1929 Browns were led by Heinie Manush, who's average "dropped" to .355 which was third best in the league. He would get some protection in the lineup with Fred Schulte hitting .307, and Red Kress belting out a .305 mark. Their pitching staff was led by General Crowder and Sam Gray, who were 33-30 between them.
The Browns closed out the 1920s as a reasonable contender in the American League. They had enjoyed the best decade in franchise history and were looking forward to the future.