Tom Browning

Infobox MLB retired


width=165
name=Tom Browning
position=Pitcher
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=birth date and age|1960|4|28
city-state|Casper|Wyoming
debutdate=September 9
debutyear=by|1984
debutteam=Cincinnati Reds
finaldate=May 19
finalyear=by|1995
finalteam=Kansas City Royals
stat1label=Win-Loss record
stat1value=123-90
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=3.94
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=1,000
teams=
* Cincinnati Reds (by|1984-by|1994)
* Kansas City Royals (by|1995)
highlights=
* All-Star selection (1991)
* World Series champion (1990)
* Threw perfect game on September 16, 1988 versus the Los Angeles Dodgers

Thomas Leo Browning (born April 28, 1960 in Casper, Wyoming) was a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds (1984-1994) and the Kansas City Royals (1995). He is also co-author of " [http://books.google.com/books?id=HzjayXgvQcYC&dq=tom+browning%27s+tales+from+the+reds+dugout&pg=PP1&ots=JmM0NgFsi0&sig=tqEeaIjo9rN1TksBuSC1RDWWvjQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout] ."

He is perhaps best known for pitching a perfect game on September 16, by|1988 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Minor Leagues

Browning was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the ninth round of the 1982 June Draft out of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY. That year he led the Pioneer League in strikeouts and innings pitched, and after learning a screwball during the Fall Instruction League, went 8-1 with 101 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings pitched for Class-A Tampa in 1983. He eventually earned a midseason promotion to Class-AA Waterbury and struck out 101 more batters in 117 1/3 innings pitched.

Browning began the 1984 season with Class-AAA Wichita, where he went 12-10 with a league-high 160 strikeouts. On July 31 of that year, he threw a seven-inning no-hitter against Iowa and later earned a September call-up to play for Pete Rose's Cincinnati Reds. In his major-league debut, Browning beat Orel Hershiser and the Los Angeles Dodgers while pitching 8 1/3 innings and giving up just one run. He'd finish the year 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA to retain his spot on the major-league club the following season.

Early career

As a rookie, Browning went 20-9 with a 3.55 ERA for the Reds, becoming the first rookie to win 20 games since the Yankees' Bob Grim in 1954. Browning finished the season with 11 consecutive wins, the longest streak by a Cincinnati pitcher in 30 years, and was named The Sporting News' NL Rookie Pitcher of the Year. He also finished second (behind Vince Coleman) in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Browning was superstitious and did not shave in between starts. As a result, he was often photographed with a four-day stubble. He also wore red underwear on the days he pitched.

Browning would go on to post double-digit win totals for seven straight seasons and consistently ranked among the league leaders in starts, innings pitched and shutouts. One of his best seasons came in 1988, when he went 18-5 with a 3.41 ERA and teamed with 23-game-winner Danny Jackson to form the best pitching tandem in baseball that season.

On Sept. 16 of that year, Browning made baseball history by becoming the first Red (and just the 12th pitcher ever) to throw a perfect game. In that 1-0 victory over the Dodgers at Riverfront Stadium, Browning threw 72 of his 102 pitches for strikes and didn't run the count to three balls on a single batter. Browning remains the only Red to throw perfect game. [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1137746/22/26/index.htm]

He also missed becoming the first Major League pitcher to hurl two perfect games, taking another bid into the ninth on July 4, 1989, against the Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium; a lead-off single by Dickie Thon broke up this attempt. After his 1988 perfect game, Reds owner Marge Schott put a clause in his contract that stated his wife, Debbie, would receive a $300,000 bonus if he pitched another perfect game in 1989. The National League Office eventually nixed the clause.

World Series

In 1990 the Reds went to the postseason for the first and only time in Browning's career. He won 15 games that season and picked up a key win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. The Reds would meet the heavily favored Oakland A's in the World Series that year, but thanks in part to Browning's victory in Game 3, the Reds pulled off what was considered an unthinkable sweep to become world champions. "That 1990 season was, without a doubt, the most enjoyable season of baseball I has ever been a part of," he would say.

Late career

Browning battled injuries from 1991-'93, going 27-26, but earned a spot on the 1991 All-Star team after a 10-4 start to the season. Two years later, in one of baseball's most legendary pranks, he sneaked out of Wrigley Field during a Reds-Cubs game and appeared on a Wrigley Field rooftop, 3643 N. Sheffield Ave., - in uniform - during a July 7 game. The gag earned Browning a $500 fine from Reds Manager Davey Johnson.

Browning entered the 1994 season healthy. However, during a fateful start in San Diego on May 9, 1994, Browning's arm broke while delivering a pitch to Archi Cianfrocco. The injury was gruesome, with spectators and television viewers able to see Browning's arm separate from his shoulder, and hearing a "pop!" sound simultaneously. The injury was extreme, and he was done for the season. He attempted a comeback with the Kansas City Royals in 1995, pitching in two games at the major-league level, but he decided to take the season off and to continue rehabbing his arm. He entered camp with the Royals again in 1996 but decided to retire before the season began.

After Retirement

Browning retired with a 123-90 record, a 3.94 ERA and 31 complete games. His 123 wins as a Red rank 12th on Cincinnati's all-time leaders list, and in December 2005, he led fan balloting wire-to-wire to become a 2006 Reds Hall of Famer. In February 2006, new Reds CEO Bob Castellini invited Browning to spring training as a special instructor. He broadcasted Dayton Dragons games during the 2006 season. The Dragons are a Class-A affiliate of the Reds.

In 2007 he was named the pitching coach for the Reds Rookie Advanced level Billings Mustangs farm club. He will assume the role in the summer of 2008.

Browning's book, " [http://www.browningbook.com Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout] ," debuted in March 2006 and was co-authored by Reds employee Dann Stupp. His official site, " [http://www.browningbook.com BrowningBook.com] ," also launched that month.

ee also

* Major League Baseball titles leaders
* Pitchers who have thrown a perfect game

External links

*baseballstats |mlb= |espn= |br=b/brownto05 |fangraphs=1001566 |cube=B/tom-browning
* [http://www.browningbook.com Tom Browning's official site]
* [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/boxscore/09161988.shtml Perfect Game Box Score]