St. Louis Browns right-handed pitcher, Al Papai, was born on May 7 1917, in Divernon, Illinois. The career 'knuckleballer' is the only MLB player to come from Divernon, which is located just 82 miles northeast of St. Louis. He would have an extensive 16-year professional baseball career, where he played on ten teams in 14 minor league sea
St. Louis Browns right-handed pitcher, Al Papai, was born on May 7 1917, in Divernon, Illinois. The career 'knuckleballer' is the only MLB player to come from Divernon, which is located just 82 miles northeast of St. Louis. He would have an extensive 16-year professional baseball career, where he played on ten teams in 14 minor league seasons, and four teams in the Major Leagues. He spent 12 seasons playing for St. Louis clubs, including 13 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (1940-41, 45-48, 50-54) and one season with the Browns (1949). His lone season with the Browns would be his best career season in baseball.
Al Papai played semipro baseball out of high school for local teams around the Divernon area. He signed his first contract with the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent prior to the 1940 season. After spending a year with the Worthington Cardinals (1940) and a brief stint with the Springfield Cardinals (1941), Al Papai was drafted into the US Army in July of 1941.
Al Papai would become a decorated infantryman who served his nation across the European Theater (1941-45). He served in North Africa, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Sicily, Normandy, Rhineland, and across Central Europe. He would earn five oversees service bars, three Bronze Stars, a Silver Star, and a Purple Heart, for his bravery and courage on the battlefield.
He returned to baseball in 1946 and continued his time with the Cardinals. He saw action with the Allentown Cardinals (1945), Lynchburg Cardinals (1945-46), Houston Buffaloes (1947), and Rochester Red Wings (1948).
Papai finally made his MLB debut with the Cardinals on April 24 1948. He would pitch the eighth inning in relief of Ken Burkhart, and give up just one hit in four batters faced.
The Browns would acquire Al Papai on May 4, 1949, after the Cardinals placed him on waivers. Papai's best season came as a versatile member of the Browns pitching staff. In his first appearance with the Browns, he would pitch a complete game against the Boston Red Sox in a losing effort. Papai would appear in a career best 42 games, tallying career marks with 15 starts, 13 games finished, six complete games, 142 innings pitched, and 31 strikeouts. His best game came in the second half of a double header against the New York Yankees. He would hurl a ten-inning complete game that included just two hits, one earned run and one strikeout. Unfortunately he would not earn any decision as the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
The Browns would place Al Papai on waiver on December 1, 1949, and he was quickly picked up by the Boston Red Sox. Over the next eight years he would see action with the Red Sox (1950), the Cardinals (1950), and the Chicago White Sox (1955). He would also return to the Houston Buffaloes (1951-53) and Rochester Red Wings (1953-54), as well as the Oklahoma City Indians (1954-55), Memphis Chickasaws (1956), Indianapolis Indians (1957), and Corpus Christi Giants (1958).
Al Papai retired from baseball and settled in Springfield, Illinois. He worked as a mail carrier for 20 years, and was inducted into the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame. Throughout his life, Al Papai would be a military hero, a baseball veteran, and a community leader. He is a great example of an individual that would make an impact in every aspect of his life.
HEADLINE
"BROWNS WALK-OFF TIGERS WITH A 9th INNING RALLY"
FEATURED GAMES
1925 - The Browns would come from behind an steal a 6-5 victory in the bottom of the 9th inning over the Detroit Tigers. It was a complete team effort with great pitching and solid hitting by every Browns batter. George Sisler would go 3-for-5, with a run and RBI, Ken W
HEADLINE
"BROWNS WALK-OFF TIGERS WITH A 9th INNING RALLY"
FEATURED GAMES
1925 - The Browns would come from behind an steal a 6-5 victory in the bottom of the 9th inning over the Detroit Tigers. It was a complete team effort with great pitching and solid hitting by every Browns batter. George Sisler would go 3-for-5, with a run and RBI, Ken Williams would go 2-for-5, with a run and RBI. Hanke Severeid hit .500 (2-for-4) with an RBI. Marty McManus would have the best bat of the day by going 2-for-3, scoring three runs and driving in two. With the game tied in the bottom of the nineth inning, 2B Joe Evans starts the inning off with a double. He moved to third base on a single by George Sisler, and would score the winning run on a drive by Ken Williams. Browns RHP Dixie Davis would pitch 7.1 innings, giving up ten hits and five runs. Ernie Wingard would enter in eighth inning, and shut down the Tigers offense, retiring all five batters he faced.
BROWNS' ALL-TIME RECORD ON THIS DAY
18 WINS, 26 LOSSES
1902-09: 3-3
1910-19: 2-6
1920-29: 6-4
1930-39: 5-4
1940-49: 2-5
1950-53: 0-4
DOUBLE-HEADERS:
Swept in 1950
Split in 1944
TRANSACTIONS
There were no transactions on this day
DEBUTS
There were no debuts on this day
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1896 - LHP Tom Zachary (1926)
1908 - 1B Harry "Stinky" Davis (1937)
1917 - RHP Al Papai (1949)
The 1949 St. Louis Browns pitching staff was full of younger pitchers with limited experience. The team only had one pitcher that won over 10 games. They had only one pitcher with a winning record. They were in desperate need of a seasoned veteran to help mold this staff. They had picked up Tom Ferrick and Red Embree, who had big league e
The 1949 St. Louis Browns pitching staff was full of younger pitchers with limited experience. The team only had one pitcher that won over 10 games. They had only one pitcher with a winning record. They were in desperate need of a seasoned veteran to help mold this staff. They had picked up Tom Ferrick and Red Embree, who had big league experience but under performed in St. Louis. This staff would remain primarily intact for the next four seasons, as the staff began to mature their production became more reliable.
Team Pitching Statistics
(American League Rankings)
Player Statistics