St. Louis Browns RHP Ray Shore was born on June 9, 1921, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nicknamed "Snacks", he would build a 50-year professional baseball career that would include 12 minor league seasons, three Major League seasons, and over 20 years as a major league scout and coach.
It was reported that Shore signed with the Browns as a catcher
St. Louis Browns RHP Ray Shore was born on June 9, 1921, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Nicknamed "Snacks", he would build a 50-year professional baseball career that would include 12 minor league seasons, three Major League seasons, and over 20 years as a major league scout and coach.
It was reported that Shore signed with the Browns as a catcher prior to being called into military service during World War II. While serving in the US Air Force, Shore had began to focus on pitching rather than being a 'back stop'. He served his country from 1944-46, and then returned to the Browns.
The Browns would assign him to the Springfield Browns of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. He would appear in 35 games with Springfield while reaching a 12-12 record and an ERA of 3.56. This would earn a late season call up by the Browns and make his MLB debut on September 21, 1946. He would enter the game in a relief role for RHP Bob Muncrief, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk.
The Browns would option him to the Toledo Mud Hens for the 1947 season, but then offer him a opening day roster position for the 1948 season. After a 7.11 ERA over 17 games, the Browns sent Shore to the San Antonio Missions to close out the season. The Browns offered him a second opening day roster spot in 1949, but a 10.80 ERA in 13 games gained him a second trip to San Antonio. He would finish his playing career with Baltimore Orioles (1950), Toronto Maple Leafs (1951-55), and the Portland Beavers (1956-57).
Ray Shore would play his entire MLB career with the Browns. His final statistics include appearing in 62.1 innings over 31 games. He was primarily used out of the bullpen, but was given the opportunity to start four games. He would accumulate 26 strikeouts and reach an ERA of 8.23.
Shore's real impact on Baseball came after he retired from playing, and entered the coaching realm. He would join the Cincinnati Reds as a coach from 1963-67, and then a well respected scout and advisor to the Reds General Manager, Bob Howsam, from 1969-75. He would be responsible for the deal that brought Hall of Famer Joe Morgan from Houston to Cincinnati. He would later scout for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1984-95. In a cruel piece of baseball irony, Ray Shore would end his career in the city where it all began. He suffered from double pneumonia and passed while on a scouting trip in St. Louis. Many baseball historians will give Shore the credit for helping build the famous "Big Red Machine" of the 1970s.
BROWNS HISTORY ON THIS DAY...
The Browns played 45 games on this day.
All-Time Record on this Day:
23 wins 22 Losses
Breakdown of the Browns' record
on this day by decade (wins - losses):
This would be the Browns third day in June where they mounted a winni
BROWNS HISTORY ON THIS DAY...
The Browns played 45 games on this day.
All-Time Record on this Day:
23 wins 22 Losses
Breakdown of the Browns' record
on this day by decade (wins - losses):
This would be the Browns third day in June where they mounted a winning record. They would only have five winning days in the month, so this would call for celebration.
The Browns would play three double headers against the New York Yankees on this day.
HEADLINE
"THOMAS AND COLEMAN QUICKLY DISPOSE OF THE INDIANS"
HIGHLIGHT GAME
1935 - In a classic pitching duel that lasted only 1:39, Browns' RHP Fay Thomas out pitches the future Brown Oral Hildebrand, in a 2-1 St. Louis victory over the Cleveland Indians. Fay Thomas would pitch a complete game scattering five hits, a strikeout and a walk over the nine innings. His only blemish came in the fourth inning when he gave out a home run to Hal Trotsky. The Browns' RF Ed Coleman would carry the them to victory, buy driving in the only two St. Louis runs in the top of the fourth inning. After LF Moose Solters singled, Coleman would drive a home run deep into right field bleachers for a 2-0 Browns lead. Coleman would end up going 3-for-3 with the home run and a double in the seventh inning. CF Sam West and SS Alan Strange would add to the hits for St. Louis. This game would be completed in an amazing 99 minutes - with no pitch clock!!!!
TRANSACTIONS
1921 - Browns sent RHP Allen Sothoron to the Cleveland Indians in an unknown transaction. Sothoron pitched for the Browns from 1914-1922, reaching a 55-61 record in 162 games. He pitched in 1011.1 innings, striking out 357 batters while allowing 356 walks, 582 eared runs, and an ERA of 2.98.
1932 - Browns traded RHP Dick Coffman to the Washington Senators for LHP Carl Fisher . Coffman pitched eight seasons for the Browns, recording 44 wins in the 115 games he started, and 44 complete games. He would strikeout 372 batters, while allowing 537 earned runs, in a total of 237 games. Fisher would finish out the 1932 season in St. Louis with a 3-7 record, 5.57 ERA, and 35 strikeouts.
THERE WERE NO DEBUTS ON THIS DAY
The 1938 St. Louis Browns was a team in transition from the struggles of the 1930s, to the team that would win the American League pennant. This team would have 36 players in uniform before the end of the campaign. The offense would include 18 players, with only eight players competing in over 100 games. Of the 18 players that pitched for
The 1938 St. Louis Browns was a team in transition from the struggles of the 1930s, to the team that would win the American League pennant. This team would have 36 players in uniform before the end of the campaign. The offense would include 18 players, with only eight players competing in over 100 games. Of the 18 players that pitched for the Browns, 16 pitchers started at least one game.
The team had some standouts players, but many of them would be traded before the end of the season. Long time Browns Oscar Melillo and 4-time All Star Sam West would be traded during the season. With only one pitcher with a winning record, the Browns staff could have been an example as "quantity over quality". Six of the starting players would be on the 1942 team that won 82 games. This team of 1938, was learning how to compete with the rest of the American League.
STARTING LINEUP
C: John Sullivan
1B: George McQuinn
2B: Don Heffner
SS: Red Kress
3B: Harlond Clift
LF: Buster Mills
CF: Mel Almada
RF: Beau Bell
UTIL: Joe Grace
P: Bobo Newsom, Lefty Mills, Oral Hildenbrand, Rusty Van Atta, Ed Cole, Bill Trotter, Jack Knott, Bill Cox, Les Tieje, Fred Johnson, Jim Walkup, Ed Linke, Julio Bonetti, Vito Tamulis, Harry Kimberlin, Jim Weaver, Glenn Liebhardt, Emil Bildilli
Managers: Gabby Street, Oscar Melillo