St. Louis Browns INF Bert Graham was born on April 3, 1886, in Tildon, Illinois. He would enjoy an 11-season professional baseball career that included 3982 plate appearances over 1066 games. He would primarily see action as an outfielder (606 games), but would play both first and second base with the Browns.
The early career of Bert Grah
St. Louis Browns INF Bert Graham was born on April 3, 1886, in Tildon, Illinois. He would enjoy an 11-season professional baseball career that included 3982 plate appearances over 1066 games. He would primarily see action as an outfielder (606 games), but would play both first and second base with the Browns.
The early career of Bert Graham is not documented, but he is likely to have played semipro baseball before his baseball career began at the age of 23. His first season was split between the Bartlesville Boosters and the Muskogee Navigators of the Western Association in 1909. He began the 1910 season batting .305 with the Jackson Tigers, before being called up to the Browns in September.
Graham would would make his MLB debut with the Browns as a leadoff hitter against the Chicago White Sox on September 9. In both games of the double header, he hit from the lead off position recording a double off Sox pitcher Doc White in game two. In the remaining six games with the Browns he moved to first base, as Frank Truesdale moved to second. His best game came on September 15, as he hit his only MLB triple while driving in two runs off Jack Quinn of the New York Highlanders.
His final stats with the Browns included 27 plate appearances over eight games. He recorded three hits, all for extra bases (two doubles and a triple), scored a run, drove in five runs, and struck out three times. His .115 batting average did not earn him a return to the Browns in 1911. Instead he split time between the Montgomery Billikens (127 games) and the Columbus Discoverers (78 games). He would spend the next eight seasons, playing with six different minor league clubs. He would play for the Danville Speakers (1912-13), Davenport Blue Sox (1914-16), Aberdeen Black Sox (1915), Quincy Gems (1917), Dallas Giants (1917), Waco Navigators(1917, 19), and the Tacoma Tigers (1920).
There is no record of Graham playing in 1918. Many players were called into service during World War I, and although there is no record of Graham serving in the military he may have been in the war industry. There is no recorded history of Graham after he retired from baseball. He would eventually settle down in Cottonwood, Arizona, where he lived a long life in the desert.
BROWNS DAILY QUOTE
“We used to know when his curve ball was coming. He was so fast, it seemed impossible to hit his speed; everyone wanted a chance to hit his curve. He would pitch fast ball after fast ball, and then maybe shake his head when the catcher gave the signal. This would be the tip-off. The catcher was signaling for another fast
BROWNS DAILY QUOTE
“We used to know when his curve ball was coming. He was so fast, it seemed impossible to hit his speed; everyone wanted a chance to hit his curve. He would pitch fast ball after fast ball, and then maybe shake his head when the catcher gave the signal. This would be the tip-off. The catcher was signaling for another fast one, but Walter had decided to throw a curve. Then we would try and hit the curve, knowing we had a better chance against it than his hopping fast one.”
~ Browns' slugging first baseman, Lu Blue, on his respect and success of the legendary pitcher, Walter Johnson, 1930
BROWNS' BIRTHDAYS ON THIS DAY
1886 - 1B/2B Bert Graham (1910)
1879 - RHP John Frill (1912)
TRANSACTIONS
1931 - The Browns traded first baseman Lu Blue to Chicago White Sox for $15,000. Blue was one of the Browns best players from 1928-30, leading the team in multiple offensive categories during his time in St. Louis. During the 1930 season he suffered an arm injury which affect his swing. He would finish the season with a career low average of .235, almost 60 points lower than his previous season. In preparing for the 1931 season, he was questioned about his arm and he honestly said that it felt fine. The nation was feeling the hard times of the Great Depression, and the Browns needed to be careful with their bottom line. Lu Blue was under contract to make $14,000 in the 1931 season, and the Browns were looking to save some money during the hard times. Blue would go on to hit .304 for the White Sox in 1931. His replacement, Jack Burns, would finish the 1931 season batting .260.
The impact of the 1940 St. Browns team rested in the idea that the franchise was turning the page on one decade and looking forward to the future. The 1930s was a rough era for the Browns. From dealing with the Famous Gashouse Gang at home, to a shrinking payroll due to the death of their owner.
The Browns were looking forward to a new de
The impact of the 1940 St. Browns team rested in the idea that the franchise was turning the page on one decade and looking forward to the future. The 1930s was a rough era for the Browns. From dealing with the Famous Gashouse Gang at home, to a shrinking payroll due to the death of their owner.
The Browns were looking forward to a new decade. The 1940s team started that spark that would lead them to the American League pennant. This team won 24 more games than the 1939 campaign. They added two sluggers, Wally Judnich and Rip Radclift, that would change the face of the offense. They had one of the best sets of corner infielders, George McQuinn and Harland Clift, that no knew about. They had a true ace on their pitching staff with Elden Auker, and a set of younger pitchers who were just hitting their stride. These players were the core of the team that would compete throughout the war years of the 1940s.
Brighter days were ahead for the St. Louis Browns.