Dr. Bobby Brown, a four-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees who later presided over the American League, died March 25, 2021, at his Fort Worth, Texas home. He was 96.
“Few people who have worn the pinstripes have lived such an accomplished, fulfilled, and wide-ranging life as Dr. Brown, who was beloved by our organization for his warmth, kindness and character,” said Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner in a press release. “He represented the pinstripes with elegance throughout his playing career and in subsequent decades as a frequent, welcome guest at Old Timers’ Day. We also hold the utmost respect for the myriad of other accomplishments in his life — from service to our country, his stewardship of the American League and his longtime career as a cardiologist.”
Brown was a both a World War II and Korean War veteran, mixing in his medical studies while pursuing a major league career. The Yankees signed him in 1946 for a $10,000 bonus after he had assured the Tulane’s medical school dean that he could manage his studies while playing baseball.
His two worlds constantly collided, exemplified by a story told many years later including his roommate Yogi Berra. One night during his rookie season in Newark, Brown was reading a medical textbook while roommate Berra thumbed through a comic. Finishing the comic, Berra turned to Brown and asked, "So, how is yours turning out?"
Brown burned the candle at both ends, and after posting a .341 average in 1946 with Newark, he earned a late-season call-up to the Yankees. He continued to impress at the plate, batting .333 in seven games, never returning to the minor leagues.
Over the next eight seasons, Brown became an integral part of a World Series dynasty. His reliable bat and glove allowed manager Casey Stengel to utilize him at third base, shortstop and second base en route to winning four championships.
While Brown held his own during the regular season in a lineup with icons Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, he saved his best for the World Series. In 41 career World Series at-bats, Brown batted .439, which ranks sixth all-time according to Baseball-Reference.
Speaking with Brown in 2010, he had difficulty explaining why he was so locked in during the postseason.
“The World Series is the World Series; it's the real McCoy!” Brown said. “You're bearing down every moment you are there. If you had a good series, you had to hit it hard, but it had to go where they weren't playing. You can have a pretty good series hitting the ball hard, but if you weren't lucky to get it away from them, it didn't show up. I was lucky in that respect; I hit the ball pretty hard and I kept it away from them. I had a fair number of hits versus Brooklyn. There was a lot of skill, but luck too.”
As the Yankees dominated in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Brown attributed their success to the collective expectations in the clubhouse. The superstars went full tilt and expected everyone else to do the same.
“They were all good guys and wonderful to be around,” he said. “You knew they were all great and played hard. You played as hard as you could because that's what they did. If you weren't successful, you weren't going to be around long. Everyone thought they were going to win and did the best for the team. They were all team players, nobody played as an individual and that includes all the great stars. That's why they were such good players.”
In 1952, the United States Army drafted Brown, and he served 19 months in Korea before returning to the Yankees in 1954. While overseas, Brown knew his playing days would end soon.
“I was an MD when I was playing in 1952,” he said. “I had played very little in 1952 because they knew I was going to be drafted in July. I didn't play in the service, except during basic training. I was in Korea and rotated to Japan. When I got back in 1954, I was about to turn 30. I had been in service from 1952-54. I wasn't doing anything medicine wise that was going to help me. I wanted to be an internist. All I had was a rotating internship coming into the service, and they could put me anywhere. I knew medicine wise, if I didn't get into the swing of things pretty quick, I couldn't postpone it anymore. I was going to be left behind.”
Brown decided to dive right in with the Yankees when he came back in May. Slowly he found his swing, but after a month, the pull of being a doctor was stronger than any home run he could hit. It was time to retire.
“I felt I had to get right into it if I was going to do it at all,” he said. “I hadn't touched a ball or swung a bat. I think a week after I got back, we had 3-4 guys hurt and I was playing. I was just starting to round into shape and hit the ball until I had to quit. I just started to hit when it was time for me to leave, but it was time for me to leave.”
Brown completed his residency in 1957, and in 1958 he started his private practice in Fort Worth. He put his energies into his work as a cardiologist, severing ties with baseball to focus on his new career.
In 1974, he made an unlikely return to baseball at the urging of Texas Rangers owner Brad Corbett. He served as the Texas Rangers’ interim president for one season and returned to his practice. He later became the President of the American League in 1984, serving for ten years, stepping down just days before the 1994 strike.
In recent years, Brown remained a fixture at Yankees Old Timers’ Day, serving as the lone representative of its 1947 World Series dynasty. Despite all of his accolades on the field and decorated military service, Brown cherished his work in the medical field above anything that happened in between the lines.
“I had many thrills in baseball,” Brown told the Star-Telegram in 1994. “But as far as what’s important, as far as making a contribution to society, there’s no question that medicine provided me with that opportunity.”
