Jim Brewer

James Thomas Brewer
(The Brew)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
• High School Broken Arrow High School
• Debut July 17, 1960
• Final Game May 24, 1976
• Born November 14, 1937 in Merced, CA USA
• Died November 16, 1987 in Tyler, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jim Brewer threw a nasty screwball that paralyzed right-handed batters. Occasionally, opposing managers would send up left-handed pinch hitters to face the southpaw even when righties were available because "The Brew's" scroogie was so devastating to right-handed hitters.

Brewer started some games early in his career with the Chicago Cubs but was almost exclusively a reliever with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the bulk of his career. He spent twelve seasons with the Dodgers, from 1964 to 1975, making 474 appearances and recording 126 saves to go along with a record of 61-51. He held the Dodgers record for most strikeouts by a reliever, 604, until passed by Kenley Jansen in 2016. Jim was a National League All-Star in 1973, but his true finest season may have been 1972, when he was 8-7 with a tiny 1.26 ERA with 17 saves in 51 games (78 1/3 innings) while allowing only 4.7 hits per nine innings.

After his playing career, Jim spent three seasons as the Montreal Expos' pitching coach from 1977 to 1979. He was then an assistant coach at Oral Roberts from 1979 to 1986. He died from injuries suffered in a car accident on November 16, 1987, two days after his 50th birthday.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1973)
• Won a World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1965

Related Sites

• Jim Brewer at the SABR Bio Project
• Retired numbers at Oral Roberts