Gates Brown

They are talking about Gates Brown during the Tigers Tribe game. I didn't know he played for a prison team. He also supposedly went to bat one time with two hotdogs stuffed down his shirt. I guess he wasn't playing, bought two hotdogs, and then was called on to pinch hit. He didn't want to leave the dogs in the dugout, because he thought his teammates would eat them. So he stuffed them in his shirt and strode to the plate with hotdogs tucked in his shirt. He said it was the only time he went to bat not wanting to get a hit. Of course he did get a hit. While on base he starts to eat the hotdogs. His manager asked him, what were you thinking. He replied, if I am going to eat a hotdog it might as well be from the best view in the park.


My question is, if he was so good at hitting RHP , WHY didn't he play more?

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Gates_Brown

I grew up in the Detroit area in the 70's. When the AL instituted the DH in '73 the pundits said the Tigers would have the best combo in the league with Gates against RHP and Frank Howard against LHP. Of course they were both over the hill and combined for a .235 average with a total of about 15 HRs and 50 RBIs. The next year Kaline became the full time DH in order to get his 3,000 hits and that was the end of Gates.

For whatever reason...Strat decided to give him a great 92 at bat card against righties, perfect for a lefty ballpark. At a good price!

GATES BROWN- The Original OG Unleashed card!!

They are talking about Gates Brown during the Tigers Tribe game. I didn't know he played for a prison team. He also supposedly went to bat one time with two hotdogs stuffed down his shirt. I guess he wasn't playing, bought two hotdogs, and then was called on to pinch hit. He didn't want to leave the dogs in the dugout, because he thought his teammates would eat them. So he stuffed them in his shirt and strode to the plate with hotdogs tucked in his shirt. He said it was the only time he went to bat not wanting to get a hit. Of course he did get a hit. While on base he starts to eat the hotdogs. His manager asked him, what were you thinking. He replied, if I am going to eat a hotdog it might as well be from the best view in the park.


My question is, if he was so good at hitting RHP , WHY didn't he play more?

Sounds like the Richie/Dick Allen Story,

Would MLB players today steal somebody's hotdog?

Sushi!

The only ones with something under their shirts in the modern era are the Astros.

ba-dum-bump!!!!

C'mon, you know that was funny!

growing up a Tiger fan, Gator as Ernie Harwell called him was one of my favorites and yes he and later Ron Leflore spent time in prison. I believe the reason he didn't play more was one he was built like CC Sabathia and was not a good outfielder and we had Herdon,Stanley and Northrup in the outfield which was very good defensively