Major League Baseball Player, Coach. For thirteen seasons (1963 to 1975), he played at the outfielder position with the Detroit Tigers. Brown will perhaps be best remembered as being one of the most effective substitute hitters of his era. Born William James Brown, he had a troubled youth and served time in prison for robbery. It would be baseball for which set him on the right track in life and after his release from incarceration, he caught the attention of several Major League clubs including the Tigers who signed him as an amateur free agent in 1960. Brown marked his Major League debut with Detroit on June 19th, 1963 and played in 55 games that year. The following season (1964), he experienced career-highs in hits with 116 and home runs with 15, as he appeared in 123 games as the Tigers' starting left fielder. In 1965, he yielded the position to his close friend Willie Horton. The move proved to be beneficial to both Brown and Detroit, as he went onto find his niche as a highly-successful pinch-hitter. In 1968 while coming off the bench, Brown produced a .370 batting average in 67 games and experienced a world championship that year as the Tigers captured the World Series title over the St. Louis Cardinals. Brown appeared in one game during the 1968 Fall Classic. In 1971, he recorded a .338 batting average in 82 games. In 1,051 regular season games, he compiled 582 hits with a .257 lifetime batting average. After retiring as a player, he served as a coach with the Tigers from 1978 until 1984 and was on staff when Detroit won the World Series in 1984. Brown remained active in baseball functions prior to his death and was always glad to correspond with fans through the mail.
Major League Baseball Player, Coach. For thirteen seasons (1963 to 1975), he played at the outfielder position with the Detroit Tigers. Brown will perhaps be best remembered as being one of the most effective substitute hitters of his era. Born William James Brown, he had a troubled youth and served time in prison for robbery. It would be baseball for which set him on the right track in life and after his release from incarceration, he caught the attention of several Major League clubs including the Tigers who signed him as an amateur free agent in 1960. Brown marked his Major League debut with Detroit on June 19th, 1963 and played in 55 games that year. The following season (1964), he experienced career-highs in hits with 116 and home runs with 15, as he appeared in 123 games as the Tigers' starting left fielder. In 1965, he yielded the position to his close friend Willie Horton. The move proved to be beneficial to both Brown and Detroit, as he went onto find his niche as a highly-successful pinch-hitter. In 1968 while coming off the bench, Brown produced a .370 batting average in 67 games and experienced a world championship that year as the Tigers captured the World Series title over the St. Louis Cardinals. Brown appeared in one game during the 1968 Fall Classic. In 1971, he recorded a .338 batting average in 82 games. In 1,051 regular season games, he compiled 582 hits with a .257 lifetime batting average. After retiring as a player, he served as a coach with the Tigers from 1978 until 1984 and was on staff when Detroit won the World Series in 1984. Brown remained active in baseball functions prior to his death and was always glad to correspond with fans through the mail.
Bio by: C.S.
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