Bobby Brown

Note: This page links to Bobby Brown, the former Yankees infielder and American League president. For other players with similar names, click here

Robert William Brown
(Doc or Golden Boy)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.
• School Tulane University, University of California, Los Angeles
• High School Galileo High School
• Debut September 22, 1946
• Final Game June 30, 1954
• Born October 25, 1924 in Seattle, WA USA
• Died March 25, 2021 in Fort Worth, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"The basic truth is this: Just as long as baseball wants me, I will want baseball. Inevitably, there will be a day when I will have to say to myself, 'The time has come. Hang up your spikes and your uniform, put away the bats, and get down to working out the Oath of Hippocrates.'" - Dr. Bobby Brown, to The Sporting News, June 1949

After eight seasons in the majors with the New York Yankees, Bobby Brown went on to become a cardiologist and the President of the American League.

A highly recruited youngster as a teen, Brown instead chose to attend college and enrolled in Tulane's medical school. He signed with the Yankees in 1946, when they agreed to allow him to continue his education while playing ball. He spent most of that season with the Newark Bears, hitting .341 in 148 games before being called up to the majors in September and going 8-for-24 in 7 games for New York. He split time at third base with Billy Johnson in 1947 and hit .300 in 69 games and went 3-for-3 with 3 RBI in the World Series in his first taste of postseason ball that fall. He matched the .300 mark in 113 games for the Yankees in 1948. Brown's batting average dipped to .283 in 1949 but he provided postseason heroics that fall, hitting .500 with 5 RBI and 4 runs scored in the World Series. He continued his World Series success the following two years, hitting .333 in 1950 and .357 in 1951. After seeing limited playing time in 1952, he missed the entire following summer serving in the Army. He returned to New York for 28 games in 1954 but opted to retire to further pursue his medical career.

Brown is the all-time leader for batting average in postseason play, with his 17 for 41 (.439) tops among players with at least 40 plate appearances. During his playing days, Brown roomed sometimes with Yogi Berra, who read comic books while Brown read medical texts. One night, when both were closing their books, Yogi asked him "How did yours come out?"

After spending many years as a cardiologist in the Dallas area, Brown replaced Lee MacPhail as AL president in 1984. He held the role for ten years.

Notable Achievements

• Won four World Series with the New York Yankees (1947, 1949, 1950 & 1951)

Further Reading

• Kevin Sherrington: "Dr. Bobby Brown, Fort Worth cardiologist turned American League president, dies at 96", Dallas Morning News, March 25, 2021. [1]

Related Sites

• Bobby Brown at the SABR Bio Project