St. Louis Browns right fielder, Emil Frisk, was born on October 15, 1874 in Kalkaska, Michigan. In 18 seasons Frisk would play for 12 teams, most of them in the Pacific Northwest. He would play for one team in their history within three different leagues. He would compile 1885 career hits, including a record setting 272 in one season.
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St. Louis Browns right fielder, Emil Frisk, was born on October 15, 1874 in Kalkaska, Michigan. In 18 seasons Frisk would play for 12 teams, most of them in the Pacific Northwest. He would play for one team in their history within three different leagues. He would compile 1885 career hits, including a record setting 272 in one season.
Nicknamed "The Silent Norseman", Frisk began his career as a right-handed pitcher who "discovered at last that he couldn't pitch any more than a rabbit, and began outfielding. Now he is rated as a mighty slugger . . ." - Sporting Life, Sept. 20, 1902.
Emil Frisk signed his first baseball contract with the Hamilton Hams of the Canadian League at the age of 23. There is not documentation of him playing any baseball before being a "Ham". He would play for the Port Hudson Tigers (1898), and the Detroit Tigers of the Western League in 1899. He made his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds on September 2, 1899, but played just nine games in the last month of the season. He returned to the Detroit Tigers of the American League (but not the recognized American Leagues of today). When the American League was established in 1901, Frisk remained with the Tigers. In fact while still pitching, Frisk won the first home game in the history of the Detroit Tigers. Midway through the season, Frisk was released by the Tigers and picked up by the Denver Grizzlies.
It was with the Grizzlies that Frisk became a full time outfielder and his offensive production improved. He would spend most of his career playing baseball in the Pacific Coast League.
After his first seasons with the Seattle Indians, the Browns acquired Emil Frisk in the 1904 Rule Five draft. He became the Browns primary right fielder in 1905, and his .261 batting average was third on the team (behind George Stone .296 and Bobby Wallace .271). His 112 hits were at team average, as were his 56 strikeouts. With the emergence of Charlie Hemphill, Frisk was released and picked up by the St. Paul Saints.
The Browns gave Frisk a second look coming out of spring training in 1907, but after just one hit in his first five plate appearances, the Browns decided to release him back to St. Paul.
The rest of his career would be spent bouncing between the Seattle Indians (1908-10, 1915), Spokane Indians (1910-11, 1914-15), and the Vancouver Beavers (192-14, 1915). Emil Frisk retired from baseball after the 915 season. He would spend most of his time working with the Pacific Coast Company and raising his family in Seattle.
GREAT TRIVIA ON EMIL FRISK
It is recorded that Frisk had 272 hits while playing for the Seattle Indians in 1904. The Sporting Life reported this as being a World Record on August 22, 1914. If this number is true, Emil Frisk had ten more hits than Ichiro Suzuki recorded in 2004. However, minor league stats are rarely credited from this time period.
HEADLINE:
After serving in World War II, Browns Pitcher Steve Sundra files a lawsuit against the Browns for back pay.
RHP Steve Sundra was a member of the Browns from 1942-44, before being drafted into the Armed Forces during World War II on May 9, 1944. He was off to one of his best starts of his career, with an ERA of 1.42, and was healt
HEADLINE:
After serving in World War II, Browns Pitcher Steve Sundra files a lawsuit against the Browns for back pay.
RHP Steve Sundra was a member of the Browns from 1942-44, before being drafted into the Armed Forces during World War II on May 9, 1944. He was off to one of his best starts of his career, with an ERA of 1.42, and was healthier than he had been in previous years. While serving in the war, Sundra was stationed in Alabama and Virginia where he would play in exhibition games while raising money for war bonds. He would later serve in the army transport corp where he would make several trips to the British West Indies.
Most of his time was spent as a physical fitness instructor for younger recruits. During this time of training, Sundra would injure both knees. After the war, Sundra reurned to the Browns but was never the same pitcher. He could no longer pivot and deliver a pitch with any power or accuracy.
The Browns would give him an unconditional release in May of 1945. On October 15, 1947, he filed a lawsuit against the Browns for $5,413.40, for back pay under the guidelines of the G.I. Bill. The G.I. Bill stated that the returning athletes would be able to join their former clubs, as long as they were able to still perform at the Major League level. The Browns claimed that they game Sundra every opportunity to regain his position, but his knees prevented him from performing at his previous levels. The lawsuit extended into 1949, with Sundra gaining support from former Browns and Yankees players. Questionable legal interpretations surrounded this case, and on December 14, 1949, the courts ruled against Steve Sundra.
If there is one shameful issue in the history of the St. Louis Browns (and probably other teams as well), is the manner in which they treated their athletes who went off to war. The players that missed the 1944 American League pennant, even the ones that played a partial season, were not given any compensation by MLB or the Browns for the championship. It was not right in how they were treated.
BROWNS BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1874 - RF Emil Frisk (1905, 07)
1875 - PH Charley O'Leary (1934)
The 1939 St. Louis Browns would finish the season with a 43-111-2 record (which is still better than the Chicago White Sox of 2024). One of the primary reasons for their poor record was the roughed up pitching staff they had season. The Browns used 22 pitchers in 1939, and only Bobo Newsom would record a winning record at 3-1. 18 pitchers
The 1939 St. Louis Browns would finish the season with a 43-111-2 record (which is still better than the Chicago White Sox of 2024). One of the primary reasons for their poor record was the roughed up pitching staff they had season. The Browns used 22 pitchers in 1939, and only Bobo Newsom would record a winning record at 3-1. 18 pitchers lost twice as many games as they won. 17 pitchers had ERAs above 5.00. As a staff they only had four saves the entire season. The Browns did lead the American League with 29 batters hit by pitch (9 more than Washington), 4.9 walks per nine innings (0.9 more than Washington) and 11.3 hits per nine innings (1.1 hits more than Boston). This staff would be placed the moment Luke Sewell took over as manager of the Browns in 1941.
Team Pitching Statistics
(American League Rankings)
Player Statistics
Wins: Jack Kramer - 9 (28)
Complete Games - Jack Kramer - 10 (18)
Innings Pitched: Jack Kramer - 211.2 (10) Shutouts: Jack Kramer - 2 (4T)
Saves: Howard Mills - 3 (10T
Hits Allowed: Jack Kramer - 269 (3)
Home Runs Allowed: Jack Kramer - 18 (6)
Walks: Jack Kramer - 127 (2)
Strikeouts: Howard Mills - 103 (7)
ERA: Bill Trotter - 5.34 (25th in 1939, which would have ranked him at #25 in the American League in 2026)
WAR: Jack Kramer - 1.8 (30th in 1939, which would have placed him at 58th in the American League in 2026, tied with Tyler Rogers)