Steve Braun

Stephen Russell Braun
(Braunie)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 180 lb.
• High School Hopewell Valley Central High School
• Debut April 6, 1971
• Final Game October 6, 1985
• Born May 8, 1948 in Trenton, NJ USA

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Biographical Information

"Steve Braun was the perfect example of what I was talking about. When he walked with the bases loaded (in Game 2 of the 1982 World Series) to bring in the winning run, that was his job. That's what he got paid for. And he knew it when he walked up there. He used to tell me 'I just want to get on base. I want to get on base one time this week.'" - Darrell Porter, to Peter Golenbock, in the book The Spirit of St. Louis

Steve Braun played fifteen seasons in the major leagues and ended his career as one of the more successful pinch hitters in history.

Selected by the Minnesota Twins in then 10th round of the 1966 amateur draft, Braun reached the bigs with the club in 1971. Originally primarily a third baseman, he was the team's regular in left field in 1975 and had his best season, hitting .302 with 11 home runs and 70 runs scored. After a decade in the Twins organization, Braun was chosen by the Seattle Mariners in the 1976 expansion draft and was their regular left fielder in the inaugural campaign of 1977. Dealt to the Kansas City Royals after a year and a half in Seattle, he spent two years with the club before moving on to the Toronto Blue Jays for the latter portion of the 1980 season, missing the Royals' appearance in the 1980 World Series. Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals prior to the 1981 season, he spent five years with the team, mostly seeing action as a pinch hitter and playing in two World Series. He was part of the 1982 championship team that defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in 7 games in the 1982 World Series. He hit .274 in 58 games that year, and had a hit, a walk and 2 RBI in 2 plate appearances during the Series. He ended his career with 113 pinch hits, which currently ranks 12th all-time.

After his playing days, Braun was a Cardinals coach in 1990. He was the Boston Red Sox minor league hitting coordinator from 1991 to 2002, additionally serving as hitting coach for their affiliates the Trenton Thunder in 1999-2000, the Sarasota Red Sox in 2001, and back in Trenton again in 2002-2004.

Notable Achievements

• 1971 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• Won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982

Related Sites

• Steve Braun at the SABR Bio Project