Two men who spent most of their playing days with the Dodgers — the former in Brooklyn, the latter in LA — passed away recently.
Tommy Brown is in the record books as the youngest position player in Major League history. During World War II, when many established players were in the military, youngsters like Brown, then 17, had an opportunity they might not have otherwise. He made his debut on August 3, 1944, going 2-8 with a double in a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs. He died January 15 at the age of 97. Here’s his obit from The New York Times by Richard Goldstein, who wrote Superstars and Screwballs: 100 Years of Brooklyn Baseball (1991).
He had a career mark of .241 with 31 home runs and 159 RBI over nine seasons. In addition to the Dodgers, Brown played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cubs.
Jeff Torborg was a good receiver but not a great offensive player. He spent his entire 10-year career in Southern California: seven with the Dodgers and three with the California Angels. Used mostly as a backup, Torborg hit just .214 with eight home runs and 101 RBI. He had the distinction of catching Sandy Koufax’s perfect game in 1965.
Here’s the obit from The New York Times. I would say I’m surprised the Los Angeles Times used an AP obituary, given his connection with the Dodgers, but with the state of the newspaper industry these days, I’m not.
After retiring as a player, Torborg, who died January 19 at the age of 83, became a manager, helmsing the Cleveland Indians (1977-79), Chicago White Sox (1989-91), New York Mets (1992-93), Montreal Expos (2001), and Florida Marlins (2002-03), compiling a record of 634-718. He was named Manager of the Year in 1990, leading the Sox to a second-place finish in the AL West (94-68).
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