RIP. Gates Brown

Best remembered for overcoming adversity in his life to become a pinch hitting specialist for the Tigers in the 1960s and '70s.

http://www.freep.com/article/20130927/SPORTS02/309270102/gates-brown-dies-detroit-tigers

 

I used to have that card. I had read that he was at Comerica Park all the time as a good-will ambassador. Played with his brother Ike for a time.

 

The Gator!

Pretty sure he pinch hit a few times with a hot dog in his back pocket (that he paid for himself...no freebies back in that day).

 

I heard that story once myself. He had to slide on a play and ended up with his uniform pants covered in ketchup and mustard.

 

NOOOOOO!!! RIP Gates

 

Terry Foster of The Detroit News wrote a nice column about Gates, including the hot dog story: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130927/SPORTS0104/309270110/Tigers-family-mourns-pinch-hitting-legend-Gates-Brown?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

He was a character among a team of characters, which was the team of my childhood.

He had been in poor health for several years. He was a great ambassador for the team, but at least he's not suffering anymore.

RIP, Gates.

 

Jim Bouton broke that story in Ball Four.

 

The proliferation of the 12- and 13-man pitching staff has led directly to the death of the fat pinch-hitting specialist. Every team used to have a Gates Brown or a Smoky Burgess. Matt Stairs might have been the last of the breed.

 

Wow, so many pinch-hitting specialists from the 1960s through the 80s that had a nice little niche: Carl Warwick, Manny Mota, Vic Davalillo, Jerry Morales, Bombo Rivera, and Kranepool toward the end of his career, for that matter.

 

Did you mean Jose Morales? My memories of him are mostly Montreal.

 

Loved his barbecue.

 

RIP to a pinch hitting legend.