Twelve-year Major League veteran Larry Brown passed away earlier this week at age 84. Brown is survived by his wife Leni, their three daughters, and nine grandchildren.
Brown hit .233/.300/.313 over 3872 plate appearances and 1129 games with the Indians, A’s, Orioles, and Rangers from 1963-74. The first nine of those seasons were spent in Cleveland, where Brown became an infield regular and the team’s starting shortstop in 1967-68 and for much of the 1969 campaign. The large majority of Brown’s career (712 games) came at shortstop, though he had a good chunk of playing time at second base and third base. After being acquired by the Athletics in April 1971, Brown played in 70 games for Oakland’s AL West-winning team that season, and he then made 47 appearances for the 1972 A’s team that captured the World Series (though Brown didn’t see any playoff action).
Beyond his production on the diamond, Brown was also known for one of the more frightening on-field injuries of his era. On May 4, 1966, Brown and teammate Leon Wagner collided in pursuit of a fly ball, with Brown suffering a fractured skull, cheekbone, and nose. Incredibly, Brown was back in action by June 16, and continued to play more or less an everyday role for the remainder of the season.
The obituary provided by Brown’s family provides many details of Brown’s life inside and outside baseball, including his 62-year marriage to Leni, the love of his life. We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Brown’s family, friends, and teammates.
