Paul Bruno (minors01)

Paul Samuel Bruno

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 10", Weight 180 lb.

• Born June 14, 1914 in New Orleans, LA USA
• Died January 1975

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Paul Bruno played in the minor leagues on-and-off from 1934 to 1951. He found success as a batsman, a pitcher and as a skipper.

He began his career as a hurler, going 13-14 in 41 games for the New Iberia Cardinals his first year, 1934. In 1935, he improved to 16-16 in 40 games between two clubs and in 1936, he went 9-8 with a 4.02 ERA 23 games, also between two clubs. He also showed his potential with the bat in those years, hitting .296 in 169 at-bats in 1935.

From 1937 to 1939, he played entirely in the field, at first base and in the the outfield. Excelling from the start, Bruno hit .384/.430/.636 with 18 home runs and 104 RBI in 109 games for the Abbeville A's in 1937 to lead the Evangeline League in batting average, then .317/.365/.484 with 9 home runs and 110 RBI between two clubs in 1938. Used largely in a reserve role in 1939, Bruno hit .313/.342/.418 in 182 at-bats for the Memphis Chickasaws.

After missing 1940, he returned to hit .304 with 10 home runs in 132 games between two teams in 1941; he had 89 RBI in the Piedmont League, tying Luis Olmo for the lead. He also made three appearances on the mound, going 0-1. He retired following that campaign, but decided against it and returned to the game for 1944. Used sparingly as a pitcher, he hit .325/.380/.400 with 150 hits in 122 games for the New Orleans Pelicans his first year back; in 462 at-bats, he had just 18 strikeouts. In 1945, he was called to serve his nation during World War II, and missed the year because of it.

He returned in 1946 to hit .307 in 362 at-bats, then began a run for the ages in the Evangeline League from 1947 to 1951. Playing for the Hammond Berries in 1947, he won the Pitching Triple Crown by going 25-5 with a 1.96 ERA and 260 strikeouts in 253 innings over 47 games. It was the only Pitching Triple Crown in league history. At the plate, he hit .332/.434/.563 with 18 home runs, 91 RBI, 70 walks (to 27 Ks) and 86 runs scored to pace the loop in slugging percentage and OPS (.997). But he wasn't done—as Hammond's manager, he led the club to a 73-60 record and a league championship victory over the Thibodaux Giants (some records indicate he replaced Babe Benning as skipper partway through the year). He was taken by the Dallas Rebels in that years Rule V Draft, but never played for them.

1948 was another great year all around, as he went 22-5 with 20 complete games and 228 strikeouts in 248 innings over 45 appearances for Hammond. Though a bit off the pace for another Triple Crown, he led the league in victories and games and was fourth in strikeouts (behind Eugene Thompson, Tex Sanner and Herman Gilreath) and ERA (behind James Bradshaw, Sanner and Gilreath). At the dish, he hit .337/.479/.546 with a 1.025 OPS, 16 home runs, 77 RBI, 86 walks and just 15 strikeouts in 315 ABs. As skipper, he led the Berries to a 79-58, 2nd place regular season finish and another trip to the postseason.

Active in a more limited role beginning in 1949, Bruno still continued to succeed. Back with Hammond, he went 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 22 appearances on the mound and, at the plate, he hit .345/.417/.497 in 171 at-bats. In addition, he led the Berries to a 76-63 record during the regular season and a league championship victory in the playoffs. Moving to the Baton Rouge Red Sticks for 1950, Bruno was 7-2 with a 1.73 ERA in 11 games on the mound, and in 47 at-bats, he hit .404 with a .553 slugging mark. As the team's manager, he led the club to a 82-58, 2nd place finish and a league championship victory. 1951 was his final season. Though he hit just .248/.333/.455 in 101 at-bats for the Houma Indians, he went 7-2 with a 3.48 ERA in 10 appearances on the mound. He didn't manage the club that year.

Overall, went 108-56 (.659 winning percentage) in 247 games over 11 seasons. At the plate, he hit .321 with 1,204 hits in 1,150 games. As manager, he made the playoffs every year and won three league championships.

His middle name is just Sam per his contract card.[1]