The Baseball Hall of Famer Ohio Didn't Know it Had
Feature Story 1-1
Very few people have ever heard of Alger, Ohio. Even few have been. However, they have something many cities across the country do not, and that is a baseball hall of famer.
Ray Brown was born in Alger in 1908. He grew up just outside of town in country to a farm laborer father and stay at home mother. Brown attended the now closed Alger High School where he played basketball and baseball. No record of Brown’s high school accomplishments could be found. Even the nearby Ada Herald could not provide any records from the time period. Possibly there is a 1926 Alger yearbook somewhere with information.
It is unknown for whom or if Brown played between high school and his professional career. He reportedly played at Wilberforce Univserity but university records could not confirm his status as a student nor an athlete. By 1930 Ray Brown was playing for the independent Dayton Marcos. Due to the success of the Marcos, Brown was noticed by the Negro League’s Indianapolis ABC’s. He played for the ABC’s for just the 1931 season where he had a 2.83 ERA with 79 strikeouts over 117.2 innings. In 1932 Brown signed with the Detroit Wolves. But after just twenty games he was signed away by the Homestead Grays of Pittsburgh.
1932 was the start of a 14 year stint with the Homestead Grays. Brown was a vital part of the Grays’ lineup in ‘32 and ‘33. However situations changed in 1934. Under scrutiny from the league, the Homestead Grays became independent for the 1934 season. They instead barmstormed all comers from across the country. Brown reportedly had a 6-1 record during this year.
By 1935 the Homestead Grays were back in the Negro National League and here to stay. Brown had a 12-3 record and was named to the All-Star team. In 1936 Brown had a 6-3 record before leaving the Grays midseason to join other Negro League standouts to form the “Negro National League All-Stars”. They played in any tournaments where they could earn money. After playing so well at an integrated tournament in Denver, the team was denied entry to other tournaments across the US and ventured to the Caribbean to tour Puerto Rico.
Following the season Brown went to Cuba to play for the Santa Clara Leopardos. His first victory in the league was a no-hitter against Havana. Brown also pitched back to back games against Havana later that season where he lost the first game 1-0 after an outfielder dropped a ball during a no-hit bid. Brown then turned around and threw a shutout for a total of 20 innings pitched on the day.
Ray Brown then returned back to the Homestead Grays where he helped the team win the National League pennant in 1937 and 1938. In 1938 Brown also won the Pitching Title and Pitching Triple Crown. Brown was also elected to the All-Star team but turned down the honor. Brown continued to play winter ball in Puerto Rico and Cuba for five year.
Brown was again having a terrific year in 1939 before a contract dispute with the Grays led him to leave for the Mexican League part way through the season. Brown would eventually return to the Grays and help them to a runner-up finish for the pennant. In 1940 Brown had another amazing year where he won another pitching title and was named to the All-Star team while helping the Grays to another National League pennant.
The Homestead Grays would go on to win the National League from 1941 through 1945 by the help of Ray Brown and his teammates. Brown also helped the team to their first ever Negro League World Series title in 1943. He then turned around helped them capture to trophy again in 1944. The following season in 1945, Ray Brown through his only perfect game in a seven inning bout against the Chicago American Giants.
In 1946 Brown joined the likes of many American baseball players in moving south and playing in the Mexican League due to their high salaries. Brown played in Mexico through the 1949 season for both Tampico and Mexico City. In 1947 Brown also played in Venezuela where he had a salary of $1,500 a month, equivalent to just of $20,000 in today’s terms. In 1950 Brown moved up to Canada where played for two seasons for the Sherbrooke Canadiens. Brown then became a player-manager in the Canadien minor and independent leagues from 1952-53.
Following his baseball career Brown moved to Dayton, Ohio where he became a standard blue collar worker until his death in 1965. During his post-baseball life he never mentioned his accolades nor his time spent on the mound. His decision to leave his baseball life behind is what led to his decades long obscurity from the game and his little known status in even his small hometown.
Many, many, years later in 2006 Brown was elected into the Baseball Hall of Famer on behalf of the Committee on African-American Baseball. His enshrinement in Cooperstown came after years of exhaustive research in order preserve the legacy of negro league baseball. Brown was also elected to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals team hall of fames due to his play with the Homestead Grays which called Pittsbugh and Washington D.C. home.
Ray Brown is quit possibly the most unheralded baseball player ever to come out of Ohio. However, thanks to those that researched negro league baseball, a once lost legacy has been resurrected and able to shine once again.
Sources
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/raymond-brown/
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/brownra99.shtml