Harry Brecheen

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Left  •  Throws: Left
5-10, 160lb (178cm, 72kg)
Born: October 14, 1914 in Broken Bow, OK us
Died: January 17, 2004  in Bethany, OK
Buried: Rosedale Cemetery, Ada, OK
High School: Ada HS (Ada, OK)
School: East Central University (Ada, OK)
Debut: April 22, 1940 (8,877th in major league history)
vs. CIN 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 SO, 0 BB, 0 ER
Last Game: September 13, 1953
vs. PHA 7.0 IP, 7 H, 1 SO, 0 BB, 2 ER, L
Full Name: Harry David Brecheen
Nicknames: Harry The Cat
Pronunciation: \bruh-KEEN\
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1940

Pee Wee Reese
Elmer Valo
Marty Marion
Walker Cooper
Dom DiMaggio
Pete Reiser
Harry Brecheen
Harry Walker
Stan Spence

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology

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October 7, 1943

Billy Johnson propels NY to a 2-1 Series lead vs Cardinals

October 7, 1944

Musial leads Cardinals over Browns

August 4, 1945

Pirate catcher Bill Salkeld is 5 for 5, including hitting for the cycle, and drives in all five runs in a 6-5 loss

April 20, 1946

First televised game Cubs shut out by Cards

August 29, 1948

Jackie Robinson hits for the backward cycle helping Brooklyn beat the Cardinals at Sportsman’s Park 12-7.

May 24, 1989

New York Yankees relief pitcher Lee Guetterman gives up five runs in the 9th inning of a New York 11 – 4 loss to the California Angels, ending his consecutive scoreless innings streak at 30 2/3. It is the longest season-opening streak in the majors since Harry Brecheen’s in 1948, and the longest season-opening streak ever by a reliever.

February 6, 2022

Nine Major League Baseball Players who debuted in 1940

Biography

Brecheen became the first lefthander to record three wins in a World Series, doing so against the Red Sox in 1946. The screwballer blanked Boston 3-0 in Game Two on a four-hitter. In addition, he singled in the Cardinals’ first run, and his sacrifice bunt set up his team’s two other runs. In Game Six, “The Cat,” named for his expert fielding and cat-like movements, once again beat Mickey Harris. With one day’s rest, he pitched two innings of relief in Game Seven to pick up his third win. He had a 0.45 ERA in the Series, and his lifetime WS ERA of 0.83 is the best ever.
Brecheen’s finest season came in 1948 when he led the NL in winning percentage (.741, 20-7), ERA (2.24), strikeouts (149), and shutouts (7). He was one of 61 players to play for both the Cardinals and Browns.

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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

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