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Tom Browning
Thomas Leo Browning (April 28, 1960 – December 19, 2022) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1984 to 1995, spending almost his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds. In his rookie season in 1985, Browning won 20 games and was runner-up for the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award; he was the Reds' first 20-game winner in 15 years, and equaled the most wins by a Cincinnati lefthander since 1925. He quickly became a mainstay in the team's pitching rotation, leading the NL in games started four of the next five years. Browning pitched the twelfth perfect game in major league history on September 16, 1988, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, just the third perfect game by a lefthander; it was the highlight of a season in which he was 18–5, posting the league's second-highest winning percentage. He helped the Reds to a sweep in the 1990 World Series, winning Game 3 against the defending champion Oakland Athletics. In 1991, his last full season, Browning was named to the NL All-Star team.
Browning's 123 wins with the Reds ranked fourth among lefthanders when he retired, and remain the most by any Reds pitcher active since 1971; his 298 starts trail only Eppa Rixey among the team's lefthanders. He later became a broadcaster and minor league pitching coach, and co-authored the book Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout. Browning was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2006.
Browning played college baseball at Le Moyne College in Syracuse from 1979 to 1981 and Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens, Tennessee from 1981 to 1982.
Browning was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the ninth round of the 1982 June draft out of Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens, Tennessee. That year, he led the Pioneer League in strikeouts and innings pitched, and after learning a screwball during the Fall Instruction League, went 8–1 with 101 strikeouts in 78+2⁄3 innings pitched for Class-A Tampa in 1983. He eventually earned a midseason promotion to Class-AA Waterbury and struck out 101 batters in 117+1⁄3 innings pitched.
Browning began the 1984 season with Class-AAA Wichita, where he went 12–10 with a league-high 160 strikeouts. On July 31 of that year, he threw a seven-inning no-hitter against Iowa and later earned a September call-up to play for Pete Rose's Cincinnati Reds. In his major-league debut, Browning beat Orel Hershiser and the Los Angeles Dodgers while pitching 8+1⁄3 innings and giving up just one run. He finished the year with a 1–0 record and recorded a 1.54 ERA to retain his spot on the major-league club the following season.
As a rookie, Browning went 20–9 with a 3.55 ERA for the Reds, becoming the first rookie to win 20 games since the Yankees' Bob Grim in 1954. Browning finished the season with 11 consecutive wins—the longest streak by a Cincinnati pitcher in 30 years—and was named The Sporting News' NL Rookie Pitcher of the Year. He also finished second (behind Vince Coleman) in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Browning was superstitious and did not shave between starts. As a result, he was often photographed with a four-day stubble. He also wore red underwear on the days he pitched.
Browning would go on to post double-digit win totals for seven straight seasons and consistently ranked among the league leaders in starts, innings pitched, and shutouts. One of his best seasons came in 1988, when he went 18–5 with a 3.41 ERA and teamed with 23-game-winner Danny Jackson.
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Tom Browning
Thomas Leo Browning (April 28, 1960 – December 19, 2022) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1984 to 1995, spending almost his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds. In his rookie season in 1985, Browning won 20 games and was runner-up for the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award; he was the Reds' first 20-game winner in 15 years, and equaled the most wins by a Cincinnati lefthander since 1925. He quickly became a mainstay in the team's pitching rotation, leading the NL in games started four of the next five years. Browning pitched the twelfth perfect game in major league history on September 16, 1988, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, just the third perfect game by a lefthander; it was the highlight of a season in which he was 18–5, posting the league's second-highest winning percentage. He helped the Reds to a sweep in the 1990 World Series, winning Game 3 against the defending champion Oakland Athletics. In 1991, his last full season, Browning was named to the NL All-Star team.
Browning's 123 wins with the Reds ranked fourth among lefthanders when he retired, and remain the most by any Reds pitcher active since 1971; his 298 starts trail only Eppa Rixey among the team's lefthanders. He later became a broadcaster and minor league pitching coach, and co-authored the book Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout. Browning was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2006.
Browning played college baseball at Le Moyne College in Syracuse from 1979 to 1981 and Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens, Tennessee from 1981 to 1982.
Browning was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the ninth round of the 1982 June draft out of Tennessee Wesleyan College in Athens, Tennessee. That year, he led the Pioneer League in strikeouts and innings pitched, and after learning a screwball during the Fall Instruction League, went 8–1 with 101 strikeouts in 78+2⁄3 innings pitched for Class-A Tampa in 1983. He eventually earned a midseason promotion to Class-AA Waterbury and struck out 101 batters in 117+1⁄3 innings pitched.
Browning began the 1984 season with Class-AAA Wichita, where he went 12–10 with a league-high 160 strikeouts. On July 31 of that year, he threw a seven-inning no-hitter against Iowa and later earned a September call-up to play for Pete Rose's Cincinnati Reds. In his major-league debut, Browning beat Orel Hershiser and the Los Angeles Dodgers while pitching 8+1⁄3 innings and giving up just one run. He finished the year with a 1–0 record and recorded a 1.54 ERA to retain his spot on the major-league club the following season.
As a rookie, Browning went 20–9 with a 3.55 ERA for the Reds, becoming the first rookie to win 20 games since the Yankees' Bob Grim in 1954. Browning finished the season with 11 consecutive wins—the longest streak by a Cincinnati pitcher in 30 years—and was named The Sporting News' NL Rookie Pitcher of the Year. He also finished second (behind Vince Coleman) in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Browning was superstitious and did not shave between starts. As a result, he was often photographed with a four-day stubble. He also wore red underwear on the days he pitched.
Browning would go on to post double-digit win totals for seven straight seasons and consistently ranked among the league leaders in starts, innings pitched, and shutouts. One of his best seasons came in 1988, when he went 18–5 with a 3.41 ERA and teamed with 23-game-winner Danny Jackson.