Jim Brosnan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jim Brosnan |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: October 24, 1929 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
|||
| Died: June 28, 2014 (aged 84) Morton Grove, Illinois, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| April 15, 1954, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 21, 1963, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 55–47 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.54 | ||
| Strikeouts | 507 | ||
| Saves | 68 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
James Patrick Brosnan (born October 24, 1929 – died June 28, 2014) was an American baseball player. He was a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played from 1954 to 1963.
Jim Brosnan was a right-handed pitcher. He played in 385 games. Most of his games were as a relief pitcher. He played for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago White Sox. Brosnan was about 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 197 pounds.
He was known as a smart player. He often read books in the locker room. He would also read during games. His teammates called him "The Professor." He went to Xavier University.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Start
Jim Brosnan was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 24, 1929. His father worked with machines. His mother wanted him to learn and enjoy art. Jim did not play many sports when he was young.
He went to Elder High School in Cincinnati. Later, his height helped him get into sports. He played for a local baseball team. When he was 17, Jim joined the Chicago Cubs' minor league baseball team.
He paused his baseball career for two years. He joined the Army. He pitched for the Army baseball team at Fort Meade, Maryland. After his time in the Army, he went back to playing for the Cubs.
Jim Brosnan's Baseball Career
In 1954, the Cubs brought Brosnan to the major leagues. He did not play well at first. So, he went back to the Cubs' minor league team in Los Angeles. There, he won 17 games. He had a very good ERA of 2.38.
In 1956, the Cubs called him back to the major leagues. He stayed there until he retired. He played for the Cubs with mixed results. His record was 14 wins and 18 losses. Then, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. After that, he went to the Cincinnati Reds.
He became a successful relief pitcher for the Reds. He used a good fastball and a slider pitch. In 1960, he had his best season with the Reds. He won 8 games and lost 3. His ERA was 2.36.
In 1961, the Reds won the National League pennant. This meant they played in the World Series. It was Brosnan's only time playing in the postseason. The Reds played against the strong New York Yankees. The Yankees had famous players like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. The Reds lost the series in five games.
Brosnan was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1963. He finished his baseball career there.
Jim Brosnan: The Author
Jim Brosnan was a good pitcher. But he became even more famous as an author. He was one of the first athletes to write a real, honest diary about his life. Before him, most sports books were written by others. They often left out personal details.
Brosnan's first book was called The Long Season. It was about his 1959 baseball season. During that year, he was traded from St. Louis Cardinals to the Cincinnati Reds. The book talked about many things. These included racial awareness and how boring or tiring the season could be. It also showed the stress of trying to stay on a major league team.
Two years later, Brosnan kept another diary. This was lucky because the Reds won the National League championship in 1961. They played in the World Series. His second book was called Pennant Race.
Brosnan's books received both praise and criticism. A famous writer named Red Smith liked The Long Season. He called it "caustic and candid, and, in a way, courageous." But others, like baseball player Joe Garagiola, called Brosnan "kooky."
In 1960, the White Sox president, Bill Veeck, wrote about The Long Season. He said it was "delightful." But he also felt Brosnan wrote about people who might have criticized him. Veeck thought this made the book less enjoyable.
When Brosnan was traded to the White Sox in 1963, he had already published his first book. The White Sox did not want any more distractions. They put a rule in his contract. It said he could not write any more books. Brosnan did not agree to this. He decided to retire from baseball instead.
Life After Baseball
After he stopped playing baseball, Jim Brosnan kept writing. He also became a sportscaster. He worked for several years as a sports anchor in Chicago. He also gave sports news on the radio station WFYR.
Brosnan wrote about many topics, not just baseball. In 1966, he wrote an article about why he did not like hunting. Many of his friends enjoyed hunting, but he did not.
He also wrote books for younger readers. These included Little League to Big League, Great Baseball Pitchers, and Great Rookies of the Major Leagues.
On June 13, 1966, Brosnan appeared on the TV show To Tell The Truth. None of the people on the show guessed he was the real Jim Brosnan.
Later Years and Legacy
Jim Brosnan died at age 84 in Park Ridge, Illinois. He was getting better from a stroke. But then he got an infection called sepsis. He had three children: Jamie, Tim, and Kimberly. He also had a brother and four grandchildren.
The Long Season, his first book, was very important. Sports Illustrated magazine named it the 19th best sports book ever. It inspired other famous sports books. These included Jim Bouton's Ball Four and Jerry Kramer's Instant Replay.
In 2007, Brosnan was honored. He was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals.
