Musings, observations, and written works from the publisher of Eckhartz Press, the media critic for the Illinois Entertainer, co-host of Minutia Men, Minutia Men Celebrity Interview and Free Kicks, and the author of "The Loop Files", "Back in the D.D.R", "EveryCubEver", "The Living Wills", "$everance," "Father Knows Nothing," "The Radio Producer's Handbook," "Records Truly Is My Middle Name", and "Gruen Weiss Vor".
Friday, October 19, 2012
Cubs 365, October 19
On this day in 1876 (the same year the Cubs played their very first season in the National League), future Cubs pitcher Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown was born.
Three Finger probably owns one of the best nicknames in baseball history, and he earned it the hard way. As a seven-year-old boy, Mordecai caught his right hand in a corn grinder on his uncle's farm. They needed to amputate almost the entire index finger, and the middle finger was mangled and left crooked. His little finger was also stubbed. When he learned to add spin to the ball by releasing it off his stub, he became a pitcher. When he started to have success, the newspapers called him "Three-Finger" for obvious reasons.
Three Finger is one of the greatest pitchers to ever wear a Cubs uniform. In ten years with the Cubs, he won 188 games, including 29 games in 1908, and 27 games in 1909. He led the league in wins, ERA, shutouts, and even saves (in four different years).
He also pitched in four World Series for the Cubs. In seven World Series starts, he won five--pitching five complete games, and three of those were shutouts. That, sadly, is probably a Cubs record that will never be broken.
