Tom Browning
Encyclopedia
Thomas Leo Browning is a former Major League Baseball
left-handed
pitcher
. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds
(1984–1994) and the Kansas City Royals
(1995). He is also co-author of Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout.
Browning pitched the twelfth perfect game
in baseball history on September 16, 1988 against the Los Angeles Dodgers
. He also won the World Series with the Reds in 1990.
from 1979 to 1981.
in the ninth round of the 1982 June draft out of Tennessee Wesleyan College
in Athens
. That year he led the Pioneer League in strikeouts and innings pitched, and after learning a screwball during the Fall Instruction League, went 8-1 with 101 strikeouts in 78⅔ innings pitched for Class-A Tampa in 1983. He eventually earned a midseason promotion to Class-AA Waterbury and struck out 101 batters in 117⅓ innings pitched.
Browning began the 1984 season with Class-AAA Wichita, where he went 12-10 with a league-high 160 strikeouts. On July 31 of that year, he threw a seven-inning no-hitter against Iowa and later earned a September call-up to play for Pete Rose
's Cincinnati Reds. In his major-league debut, Browning beat Orel Hershiser
and the Los Angeles Dodgers
while pitching 8⅓ innings and giving up just one run. He finished the year 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA to retain his spot on the major-league club the following season.
' NL Rookie Pitcher of the Year. He also finished second (behind Vince Coleman
) in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Browning was superstitious and did not shave between starts. As a result, he was often photographed with a four-day stubble. He also wore red underwear on the days he pitched.
Browning would go on to post double-digit win totals for seven straight seasons and consistently ranked among the league leaders in starts, innings pitched and shutouts. One of his best seasons came in 1988, when he went 18-5 with a 3.41 ERA and teamed with 23-game-winner Danny Jackson
.
in baseball history. In a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers
at Riverfront Stadium, Browning threw 72 of 100 pitches for strikes and did not run the count to three balls on a single batter. Browning remains the only Red to pitch a perfect game. Browning had had a previous no-hitter
broken up by a Tony Gwynn
single with one out in the ninth in June of that year.
Browning just missed becoming the first pitcher to hurl two perfect games, taking another bid into the ninth on July 4, 1989, against the Philadelphia Phillies
at Veterans Stadium
; a lead-off single by Dickie Thon
broke up this attempt. After his 1988 perfect game, Reds owner Marge Schott
put a clause in his contract that stated his wife, Debbie, would receive a $300,000 bonus if he pitched another perfect game in 1989. The National League Office eventually nixed the clause.
in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series
. The Reds would meet the heavily favored Oakland A's in the World Series
that year, but thanks in part to Browning's victory in Game 3, the Reds pulled off an unlikely sweep to become world champions. "That 1990 season was, without a doubt, the most enjoyable season of baseball I has ever been a part of," he would say.
Browning's wife went into labor late in Game 2 of the World Series. Browning left the stadium to be with his wife at the hospital. However, as the game entered extra innings and Pinella realized his pitcher was absent, the Reds called the announcers and had them issue a statement on radio and TV asking Browning to return to the ballpark in case he had to pitch. While Browning did hear the message, he stayed with his wife. The Reds won in the 10th inning.
team after a 10-4 start to the season. Two years later, in one of baseball's most legendary pranks, he sneaked out of Wrigley Field
during a Reds-Cubs
game and appeared on a Wrigley Field rooftop, 3643 N. Sheffield Ave., - in uniform - during a July 7 game. The gag earned Browning a $500 fine from Reds Manager Davey Johnson
.
Browning entered the 1994 season healthy. However, during a start in San Diego on May 9, 1994, Browning's arm broke while delivering a pitch to Archi Cianfrocco
. The injury was gruesome, with spectators and television viewers able to see Browning's arm separate from his shoulder, and hearing a "pop!" sound simultaneously. The injury was extreme, and he was done for the season. He attempted a comeback with the Kansas City Royals
in 1995, pitching in two games at the major-league level, but he decided to take the season off and to continue rehabbing his arm. He entered camp with the Royals again in 1996 but retired before the season began.
games during the 2006 season. The Dragons are a Class-A affiliate of the Reds.
In 2007, he was named the pitching coach for the Reds Rookie Advanced level Billings Mustangs
farm club.
Browning's book, Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout, debuted in March 2006 and was co-authored by Reds employee Dann Stupp
.
On March 30, 2009, Browning was arrested for non-payment of child support and was held on $99,008.36 bail.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
(1984–1994) and the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
(1995). He is also co-author of Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout.
Browning pitched the twelfth perfect game
Perfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
in baseball history on September 16, 1988 against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. He also won the World Series with the Reds in 1990.
College
Browning played college baseball at LeMoyne College in SyracuseSyracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
from 1979 to 1981.
Minor leagues
Browning was drafted by the Cincinnati RedsCincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in the ninth round of the 1982 June draft out of Tennessee Wesleyan College
Tennessee Wesleyan College
Tennessee Wesleyan College is a small liberal arts college founded in 1857, located in the East Tennessee city of Athens. It is affiliated with the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church...
in Athens
Athens, Tennessee
Athens is a city in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of McMinn County and the principal city of the Athens Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Chattanooga-Cleveland-Athens Combined Statistical Area. The population was 13,220 at the 2000...
. That year he led the Pioneer League in strikeouts and innings pitched, and after learning a screwball during the Fall Instruction League, went 8-1 with 101 strikeouts in 78⅔ innings pitched for Class-A Tampa in 1983. He eventually earned a midseason promotion to Class-AA Waterbury and struck out 101 batters in 117⅓ innings pitched.
Browning began the 1984 season with Class-AAA Wichita, where he went 12-10 with a league-high 160 strikeouts. On July 31 of that year, he threw a seven-inning no-hitter against Iowa and later earned a September call-up to play for Pete Rose
Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
's Cincinnati Reds. In his major-league debut, Browning beat Orel Hershiser
Orel Hershiser
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently an analyst for Baseball Tonight and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and a professional poker player for...
and the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
while pitching 8⅓ innings and giving up just one run. He finished the year 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA to retain his spot on the major-league club the following season.
Early career
As a rookie, Browning went 20-9 with a 3.55 ERA for the Reds, becoming the first rookie to win 20 games since the Yankees' Bob Grim in 1954. Browning finished the season with 11 consecutive wins, the longest streak by a Cincinnati pitcher in 30 years, and was named The Sporting NewsThe Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
' NL Rookie Pitcher of the Year. He also finished second (behind Vince Coleman
Vince Coleman
Vincent Maurice Coleman is an American former Major League Baseball player, best known for his years with the St. Louis Cardinals. Primarily a left fielder, Coleman played from to and set a number of stolen base records. He was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed.-Biography:Coleman attended...
) in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Browning was superstitious and did not shave between starts. As a result, he was often photographed with a four-day stubble. He also wore red underwear on the days he pitched.
Browning would go on to post double-digit win totals for seven straight seasons and consistently ranked among the league leaders in starts, innings pitched and shutouts. One of his best seasons came in 1988, when he went 18-5 with a 3.41 ERA and teamed with 23-game-winner Danny Jackson
Danny Jackson
Danny Lynn Jackson was a pitcher with a 15-year career from to . He played for the Kansas City Royals of the American League and the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, St...
.
Perfect game
On September 16, 1988, Browning pitched the twelfth perfect gamePerfect game
A perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...
in baseball history. In a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
at Riverfront Stadium, Browning threw 72 of 100 pitches for strikes and did not run the count to three balls on a single batter. Browning remains the only Red to pitch a perfect game. Browning had had a previous no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
broken up by a Tony Gwynn
Tony Gwynn
Anthony Keith "Tony" Gwynn, Sr. , nicknamed Mr. Padre and Captain Video, is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is statistically one of the best and most consistent hitters in baseball history. He played his entire 20-year baseball career for the San Diego Padres...
single with one out in the ninth in June of that year.
Browning just missed becoming the first pitcher to hurl two perfect games, taking another bid into the ninth on July 4, 1989, against the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
at Veterans Stadium
Veterans Stadium
Philadelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional-sports, multi-purpose stadium, located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
; a lead-off single by Dickie Thon
Dickie Thon
Richard William "Dickie" Thon is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball.- Early life :Thon was raised in Puerto Rico after spending only the first two weeks of his life in Indiana where his father had just completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Notre Dame.- Professional career :He...
broke up this attempt. After his 1988 perfect game, Reds owner Marge Schott
Marge Schott
Margaret Unnewehr Schott was the managing general partner, president and CEO of the National League's Cincinnati Reds franchise from 1984 to 1999...
put a clause in his contract that stated his wife, Debbie, would receive a $300,000 bonus if he pitched another perfect game in 1989. The National League Office eventually nixed the clause.
1990 World Series
In 1990, the Reds went to the postseason for the first and only time in Browning's career. He won 15 games that season and picked up a key win over the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series
National League Championship Series
In Major League Baseball, the National League Championship Series is a round in the postseason that determines who wins the National League pennant and advances to Major League Baseball's championship, the World Series, facing the winner of the American League Championship Series. The reigning...
. The Reds would meet the heavily favored Oakland A's in the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
that year, but thanks in part to Browning's victory in Game 3, the Reds pulled off an unlikely sweep to become world champions. "That 1990 season was, without a doubt, the most enjoyable season of baseball I has ever been a part of," he would say.
Browning's wife went into labor late in Game 2 of the World Series. Browning left the stadium to be with his wife at the hospital. However, as the game entered extra innings and Pinella realized his pitcher was absent, the Reds called the announcers and had them issue a statement on radio and TV asking Browning to return to the ballpark in case he had to pitch. While Browning did hear the message, he stayed with his wife. The Reds won in the 10th inning.
Late career
Browning battled injuries from 1991-93, going 27-26, but earned a spot on the 1991 All-StarAll-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team after a 10-4 start to the season. Two years later, in one of baseball's most legendary pranks, he sneaked out of Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
during a Reds-Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
game and appeared on a Wrigley Field rooftop, 3643 N. Sheffield Ave., - in uniform - during a July 7 game. The gag earned Browning a $500 fine from Reds Manager Davey Johnson
Davey Johnson
David Allen "Davey" Johnson is an American Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Washington Nationals. He was the starting second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles when they won four American League pennants and two World Series championships between 1965 and 1972...
.
Browning entered the 1994 season healthy. However, during a start in San Diego on May 9, 1994, Browning's arm broke while delivering a pitch to Archi Cianfrocco
Archi Cianfrocco
Angelo Dominic "Archi" Cianfrocco is a former professional baseball player. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball, mostly at first and third base, from 1992-1998....
. The injury was gruesome, with spectators and television viewers able to see Browning's arm separate from his shoulder, and hearing a "pop!" sound simultaneously. The injury was extreme, and he was done for the season. He attempted a comeback with the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
in 1995, pitching in two games at the major-league level, but he decided to take the season off and to continue rehabbing his arm. He entered camp with the Royals again in 1996 but retired before the season began.
After retirement
Browning retired with a 123-90 record, a 3.94 ERA and 31 complete games. His 123 wins as a Red rank 12th on Cincinnati's all-time leaders list, and in December 2005, he led fan balloting wire-to-wire to become a 2006 Reds Hall of Famer. In February 2006, new Reds CEO Bob Castellini invited Browning to spring training as a special instructor. He broadcasted Dayton DragonsDayton Dragons
The Dayton Dragons are a Class A minor league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds. They play in the Midwest League at Fifth Third Field.The Dragons came to Dayton in 2000...
games during the 2006 season. The Dragons are a Class-A affiliate of the Reds.
In 2007, he was named the pitching coach for the Reds Rookie Advanced level Billings Mustangs
Billings Mustangs
The Billings Mustangs are a minor league baseball team based in Billings, Montana. The Mustangs are the Pioneer League Rookie affiliate of the Major League Cincinnati Reds. The team has been a part of the Pioneer League since 1948 with a five-year gap between 1964 and 1968, and has been affiliated...
farm club.
Browning's book, Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout, debuted in March 2006 and was co-authored by Reds employee Dann Stupp
Dann Stupp
Dann Stupp currently runs the mixed martial arts website MMAjunkie.com. Formerly known as UFCjunkie.com his well sponsored site is one of the more popular MMA blogs on the net and has a partnership with Yahoo! Sports.-Biography:He is also the regular MMA columnist for the Dayton Daily News and a...
.
On March 30, 2009, Browning was arrested for non-payment of child support and was held on $99,008.36 bail.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- Major League Baseball titles leadersMajor League Baseball titles leadersAt the end of each Major League Baseball season, the league leaders of various statistical categories are announced. Leading the league in a particular category is referred to as a title....
- Pitchers who have thrown a perfect gamePerfect gameA perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball as a game in which a pitcher pitches a victory that lasts a minimum of nine innings and in which no opposing player reaches base. Thus, the pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base safely for any...