The Browns and Orioles - The Fifties (1950-1959)

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1950

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1954

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1957

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1951

St. Louis

102

1955

Baltimore

1958

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1952

St. Louis

1956

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1953

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Titles: None

Top Browns / Orioles Players of the Fifties

BallPark:

Pitchers:

Sportsmans Park (1950 - 1953)

Ray Moore (4.61) - 28

Memorial Stadium (1954 - 1959)

Ned Garver (14.96) - 27

Duane Pillette (7.84) - 23

Team Name:

Skinny Brown (6.92) - 21

St. Louis Browns (1950 - 1953)

Connie Johnson (6.44) - 21

Baltimore Orioles (1954 - 1959)

Billy O'Dell (11.12) - 21

George Zuverink (6.78) - 19

Owner:

Milt Pappas (5.12) - 18

William D DeWitt (1950)

Billy Loes (3.78) - 14

Bill Veeck (1951-1953)

Bob Turley (4.88) - 14

Clarence W. Miles (1954-1955)

Satchell Paige (6.79) - 13

James Kielty (1956-1958)

Arnold Portocarrero (1.3) - 13

Lee MacPhail (1959)

Bill Wight (5.14) - 12

Hoyt Wilhelm (9.44) - 11

General Managers:

Joe Coleman (1.62) - 11

Art Ehlers (1954)

Jack Harshman (2.8) - 10

Paul Richards (1955-1958)

Jim Wilson (3.52) - 10

Lee MacPhail (1959)

Don Larsen (3.88) - 7

Jerry Walker (4.1) - 8

Managers:

Tommy Byrne (2.54) - 6

Zach Taylor (1950-1951)

Stubby Overmire (5.12) - 6

Rogers Hornsby (1952)

Dick Littlefield (1.62) - 5

Marty Marion (1952-1953)

Joe Ostrowski (2.1) - 4

Jimmy Dykes (1954)

Harry Brecheen (2.75) - 3

Paul Richards (1955-1959)

Gene Bearden (-0.24) - 3

Virgil Trucks (2.18) - 2

No Hitters:

Bobo Holloman (0.12) - 1

Bobo Holloman (1953)

Cliff Fannin (-1.89) - 1

Hoyt Wilhelm (1958)

Don Johnson (-1.58) - 1

Bobby Hogue (0.86) - 0

Hall of Famers:

Ed Lopat (0.29) - 0

Satchell Paige

Dean Chance (0) - 0

Bill Veeck

Steve Dalkowski (0) - 0

Hoyt Wilhelm

Johnny Hetki (-0.16) - 0

Brooks Robinson

George Bamberger (-0.21) - 0

George Kell

Max Lanier (-0.37) - 0

Rookie of the Year:

Catchers:

None

Gus Triandos (11.38) - 47

Sherman Lollar (4.06) - 21

MVP:

Clint Courtney (3.14) - 15

None

Hal Smith (0.75) - 9

Les Moss (0.03) - 3

Cy Young:

None

First Basemen:

Bob Boyd (6.48) - 16

Notable Events:

Dick Kryhoski (1.28) - 11

Vic Wertz (2.56) - 10

1950 - Decades of losing continues in the early Fifties culminating

Dale Long (-0.23) - 0

in the Browns leaving St. Louis for Baltimore in 1954.

Second Basemen:

1951 - Bill DeWitt sells the club to Bill Veeck. This is the Brownies's

Billy Gardner (4.03) - 14

last chance to stay in St. Louis - and who better to try to pull it off?

Dick Williams (1.48) - 12

Snuffy Stirnweiss (-1.9) - 1

1951 - Bill Veeck signs Satchell Paige, who had helped the Indians

win a World Title while Bill was owner in Cleveland. This is not a

ShortStop:

pure publicity stunt as Satchell is an effective pitcher for the Browns

Willie Miranda (-0.77) - 16

for the next three seasons despite the fact that he is already in his

late forties.

Third Base:

Jim Dyck (1.57) - 12

1951 - In a publicity stunt on August 18 against the Tigers, Eddie

George Kell (2.69) - 8

Gaedel, alll 3 foot 7 inches of him, pinch hits and walks. Owners

Brooks Robinson (1.51) - 6

are outraged, but midgets could definitely win an anti-discrimination

suit as they continue to be banned from baseball. Let's face it, Veeck

Outfield:

had a legitimate point, if you need a baserunner, a designated midget

Bob Nieman (14.35) - 41

would almost guarantee it.

Cal Abrams (5.82) - 14

Gene Woodling (5.49) - 14

1952 - Veeck paints Sportsman's Park brown and adorns it with

Chuck Diering (2.32) - 14

Browns memorabelia and paraphenalia

Ray Coleman (0.33) - 13

Al Pilarcik (3.23) - 13

1952 - Veeck introduces the fans in the stands voting on strategy

Ken Wood (-2.71) - 8

Tito Francona (1.21) - 7

1952 - The Browns double their attendance to 500,000 and don't lose

Roy Sievers (-1.71) - 4

one hundred games.

Lenny Green (-0.31) - 1

Jim Pyburn (-0.68) - 1

1952 - August Busch buys the Cardinals and ends Bill Veeck's gambit

Hoot Evers (0.85) - 0

to try to win over St. Louis to the Browns.

Larry Doby (0) - 0

Tom Wright (-0.03) - 0

1953 - Veeck sells Sportsman's Park to the Cardinals. It's over.

Albie Pearson (-0.05) - 0

Jim Pisoni (-0.07) - 0

1953 - Rookie Bobo Holloman pitches a no hitter on May 6

Midget:

1953 - Veeck tries to move the Browns, but AL owners agree only

Eddie Gaedel (0.03) - 0

if Veeck sells the club. Its sold to a group in Baltimore. Now its

really over.

Notable Events:

1954 - Clarence W. Miles buys the Browns from Bill Veeck and moves

1956 James Kielty buys the Orioles. A non event, really. At least he

the club to Baltimore. Bad change of management forced by the

doesn't get in Paul Richards' way

American League owners. Miles is a dud. The next book or anything

else written about him will be the first.

1957 - Baltimore surprises everybody, including themselves, finishing

.500 for the first time in Baltimore history

1955 - Miles hires Paul Richards, an excellent baseball man, as

manager and general manager. Good move. Richards immediately

1957 - The Orioles continue to progress. They bring up a couple of

starts building an organization. Miles may have been a dud, but he

eighteen year old pitchers in Jerry Walker and Milt Pappas. Paul

did know how to pick his staff

Richards also signs young pitchers Steve Barber and Jack Fisher and

steals Chuck Estrada out of the Braves farm system.

1955 - The Orloles sign eighteen year old Brooks Robinson as Richards

starts the process of turning the franchise around. Robinson was not a

1959 - Baltimore makes a sensational hire, spiriting away Lee MacPhail,

bonus baby which allowed him to get valuable minor league experience.

the Yankees' Farm Director, and making him General Manager.

He will come up to Baltimore for good in 1958

MacPhail, along with George Weiss, was the architect of the Yankee

dynasty in the Fifties and his presence is immediately felt. MacPhail,

1955 - In the biggest trade in big league history, Richards tries to

along with incumbent manager Paul Richards, goes on to stock the

assemble some big league-worthy talent. He trades away a couple of

farm system with the likes of Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, Wally Bunker,

excellent young righthanders to New York in Don Larsen and Bob Turley,

Eddie Watt, Darold Knowles,Tom Phoebus and Jim Hardin. With these

but obtains several useful position players. He also gets a young

signings added to the existing young pitching wealth already signed by

catcher in twenty four year old Gus Triandos who will be one of the

Richards, the Orioles would amass an embarassment of riches on the

team's best players for the next eight years. Richards, a former catcher.

mound. They had so much talent that the likes of Dean Chance and Bo

was enamored by the Yankees stable of young catchers and also

Belinsky were lost to expansion clubs and it was barely felt

obtained another good one in Hal Smith in the deal. The thought is that

Richards felt he could let a couple of talented young righthanders go was

1959 - Boog Powell signs with the Orioles.The young slugger comes up

because he was confident he could always sign more - and he was right.

to the majors in 1962 as a twenty year old. He'll finish up with over

three hundred home runs lifetime