Jim Brosnan
An eclectic intellectual who happened to be able to throw the ball 90 miles an hour, Jim Brosnan established himself as the voice of his generation, at least where baseball was concerned. During his fine career as a relief pitcher, he authored two successful and critically-acclaimed diaries, The Long Season and The Pennant Race. A tall, strapping, bespectacled right-hander, Brosnan played a key role for the pennant-winning 1961 Cincinnati Reds, his hometown team.
Played For
Chicago Cubs (1954-1958)
St. Louis Cardinals (1958-1959)
Cincinnati Reds (1959-1963)
Chicago White Sox (1963)
Best Season: 1962
Brosnan posted a 2.36 ERA in 99 innings, with a 62-22 K/W ratio. He saved 12 games and pitched countless multi-inning relief appearances.
Brosnan the Writer
There's a temptation to compare Brosnan to the other popular baseball player author, Jim Bouton, whose Ball Four came out over a decade after Brosnan's first published diary.
Bouton's book is a classic, but Brosnan gets the edge in writing skill. Whereas Bouton utilized unprecedented candor and blatant honesty unseen in sportswriting before that time, Brosnan displayed a brilliant analytical mind while turning wonderful prhases and narrative.
An example from The Pennant Race illustrates Brosnan's ability:
"Candlestick Park is the grossest error in the history of major league baseball. Designed, at a corner table in Lefty O'Doul's, a Frisco saloon, by two politicians and an itinerant ditchdigger, the ball park slants toward the bay—in fact, it slides toward the bay and before long will be under water, which is the best place for it."
And this philosophical gem, from page 30 of the same book, which illustrates Brosnan's keen eye for humanity:
"To get to Crosley Field I usually take a bus through the old, crumbling streets of the Bottoms. Negroes stand on the corners watching their homes fall down. The insecurity of being in the second division of the National League—in the cellar even—leaves me. For twenty-five cents the daily bus ride gives me enough humility to get me through any baseball game, or season."
Born
James Patrick Brosnan was born on October 24, 1929, in Cincinnati, OH.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: P
Primary Team: CIN
Major League Debut
April 15, 1954
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1954
Hank Aaron
Harmon Killebrew
Bill Skowron
Vic Power
Camilo Pascual
Ryne Duren
Wally Moon
Don Zimmer
Frank Lary
Professor, Broz, Meat
Similar Players
Larry Sherry, Marv Grissom, Rick Camp
Related Players
He was once traded for Alvin Dark
Post-Season Appearances
1961 World Series
Learn More about Jim Brosnan
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