St. Louis Browns right fielder / pitcher, Pat Hynes, was born on March 12, 1884 in St. Louis, Missouri. The story of Pat Hynes is a brief and promising tale of a duel threat athlete from the St. Louis Trolley League who would play for both of his hometown teams. In just four seasons, he would record a .252 lifetime batting average, along
St. Louis Browns right fielder / pitcher, Pat Hynes, was born on March 12, 1884 in St. Louis, Missouri. The story of Pat Hynes is a brief and promising tale of a duel threat athlete from the St. Louis Trolley League who would play for both of his hometown teams. In just four seasons, he would record a .252 lifetime batting average, along with a .619 winning percentage on the mound. Just as his career was beginning to take off, a bar dispute would lead to his early death.
Pat Hynes grew up in North St. Louis and flourished in St. Louis' Trolley League. There is no record of him playing baseball in high school, but he had made his name in the fast semipro league that produced several MLB careers. There are several incomplete stories within his early playing days. It has been reported that the Seattle Chinooks signed Hynes prior to the 1903 season. Instead of reporting to Seattle, Hynes ended up with the Vicksburg Hill Billies of the Cotton States League. He would hit a solid .257, while winning seven games of the 11 he started for Vicksburg.
This production drew the attention of the St. Louis Cardinals, who brought him up to pitch a game on September 27, 1903 (there are no documentation of this transaction). Hynes would pitch a complete game against the Philadelphia Phillies, giving up six runs, on ten hits, six walks, and one strikeout, in the 3-0 loss. With the intention to bring Hynes back for the following season, the Cardinals had a difficult time locating him in the spring of 1904. Some reports had him playing Popular Bluff, Missouri, while other reports had him as far away as Texas. In actuality, he returned to St. Louis to play for the White Seals team of the Trolley League.
The 1904 Browns were desperately looking for a spark to escape a dreadful season. Manager James McAleer was able to track down Pat Hynes and sign him in August of 1904. He made his Browns debut on August 5, against the Washington Senators. He would go 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. His Browns pitching debut came on August 22, as part of a 8-0 loss to the Boston Americans. Over the course of the final two months of the season, Hynes played 63 games in right field while appearing as a pitcher in five games. His best performance came on September 8, when he pitched the Browns to a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers. He scattered nine hits, three runs, two walks, and three strikouts on the way to a complete game victory. He also 3-for-4 at the plate while scoring a run.
The Browns had a crowded outfield as the 1905 spring training began, and a sore arm presented Hynes from pitching well. This resulted in Hynes being optioned to the Minneapolis Millers in 1905, and later sent to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1906.
Pat Hynes' final statistics with the Browns included a .236 batting average, with 60 hits, seven doubles, three triples, 23 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, and 42 strikeouts. He also appeared in 26 innings over five games, with two starts, a complete game, and a 6.23 ERA.
The story of Pat Hynes came to a sudden end on his 23rd birthday. With plans to leave St. Louis the following day to join the Brewers in Milwaukee, Hynes was involved in a bar fight that resulted in a fatal gunshot wound. This ended a promising minor league career that may have led to substantial success in the Major Leagues.
This may be a classic example that nothing positive ever happens in a bar after 2:00 am.
Today's Browns Quote
"Pat Hynes, the local boy, who showed so well last year, will do the horticultural work (in 'the centre garden')"
~ from Sporting Life of March 11, 1905
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1885 - RHP/UTIL Dode Criss (1908-11)
1892 - CF George Maisel (1913)
1907 - RF/RHP Pat Hynes (1904)
BASEBALL'S LOVE OF HOT DOGS
With the beginn
Today's Browns Quote
"Pat Hynes, the local boy, who showed so well last year, will do the horticultural work (in 'the centre garden')"
~ from Sporting Life of March 11, 1905
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1885 - RHP/UTIL Dode Criss (1908-11)
1892 - CF George Maisel (1913)
1907 - RF/RHP Pat Hynes (1904)
BASEBALL'S LOVE OF HOT DOGS
With the beginning of the Baseball season just around the corner, it is appropriate to continue a look at ballpark classics. In the second of three posts dedicated to a St. Louis original, the Baseball Hot Dog, it is time to look at the best ways to top everyone's favorite baseball treat. Since first introduced to the ballpark by Browns owner, Chris Von der Ahe, people have been topping the culinary delight with dozens of different toppings. There are also regional variations that add even more flavor to the hot dog.
According to YummyDog.com, the top 10 hot dog toppings across America are below:
This is a simple, fun post that has no scientific merit to it. It is just to honor a baseball treat that always tastes good at the ballpark.
The 1928 St. Louis Browns pitching staff was one of the younger staffs in the American League. They featured three young pitchers in George Blaeholder, Lefty Stewart, and Alvin "General" Crowder, who were just beginning their major league careers.
The anchor of the 1928 staff was the veteran Sam Gray, Whether you called him by his nicknam
The 1928 St. Louis Browns pitching staff was one of the younger staffs in the American League. They featured three young pitchers in George Blaeholder, Lefty Stewart, and Alvin "General" Crowder, who were just beginning their major league careers.
The anchor of the 1928 staff was the veteran Sam Gray, Whether you called him by his nicknames "Dolly" or "Sad Sam", there was no doubt that he was the key to success of the Browns staff.
Team Statistics
(American League Rankings)
Player Statistics