Harry Brecheen | |
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Pitcher | |
Born: Broken Bow, Oklahoma, U.S. | October 14, 1914|
Died: January 17, 2004 Bethany, Oklahoma, U.S. | (aged 89)|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
April 22, 1940, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 13, 1953, for the St. Louis Browns | |
MLB statistics | |
Win–loss record | 133–92 |
Earned run average | 2.92 |
Strikeouts | 901 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Harry David Brecheen (/brəˈkiːn/, brə-KEEN, October 14, 1914 – January 17, 2004), nicknamed "the Cat", was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the St. Louis Cardinals. In the late 1940s, he was among the team's stars, in 1946 becoming the first left-hander ever to win three games in a single World Series, and the only pitcher ever to win consecutive World Series games. He later led the National League in several categories in 1948.
Bracheen's career World Series earned run average of 0.83 was a major league record from 1946 to 1976. From 1951 to 1971, he held the Cardinals' franchise record for career strikeouts by a left-hander, and he also retired with the fourth-highest fielding percentage among pitchers (.983), then the top mark among left-handers.