Harry Brecheen
| Harry Brecheen | |||
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Harry Brecheen with the Orioles (as pitching coach) in 1955
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| Pitcher | |||
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Born: October 14, 1914 Broken Bow, Oklahoma |
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Died: January 17, 2004 (aged 89) Bethany, Oklahoma |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 22, 1940, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 13, 1953, for the St. Louis Browns | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 133–92 | ||
| Earned run average | 2.92 | ||
| Strikeouts | 901 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Harry David Brecheen (October 14, 1914 – January 17, 2004), nicknamed "The Cat", was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played most of his career for the St. Louis Cardinals. In the late 1940s he was among the team's stars, becoming the first left-hander ever to win three games in a single World Series in 1946 and later leading the National League in several categories in 1948.
His career World Series earned run average of 0.83 was a major league record from 1946 to 1976. From 1951 to 1971 he held the Cardinals franchise record for career strikeouts by a left-hander, and he also retired with the fourth-highest fielding percentage among pitchers (.983), then the top mark among left-handers.
Born in Broken Bow, Oklahoma and nicknamed for his fielding ability, he was acquired by the Cardinals in 1938 after two minor league seasons, but did not get a chance to start for the team until 1943. He was nicknamed "The Cat" because of his ability to cover bunts.
He appeared in three innings in 1940. Exempted from military service during World War II with a 4-F classification due to a spinal malformation and a boyhood ankle injury, he pitched in the 1943 and 1944 World Series. In 1943, Breechen pitched in 29 games, starting 13 of them. He went 9-6 with a 2.29 earned run average in 135 innings pitched. The next season he went 16-5. He won game four of the 1944 World Series against the St. Louis Browns. He was key to the Cardinals' upset win over the Boston Red Sox in the 1946 World Series. He won three games during the series. He recorded his finest season in 1948, posting a win-loss record of 20–7 with 21 complete games and led the league in earned run average (2.24), strikeouts (149) and shutouts (7).
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