Baltimore Orioles Play Final Game as St. Louis Browns
By David Hill
Before they became the Baltimore Orioles, the team was known as the St. Louis Browns. One of the more hapless franchises in the game during their stay in St. Louis, their final game was a perfect ending to that run of futility.
Every so often, there are players who need a change of scenery in order to reach their potential. For whatever reason, their surroundings take away from their abilities, making it impossible for them to become the players they were expected to be. Then, a trade or a departure in free agency later, and those players blossom.
In the case of the St. Louis Browns, the entire team needed a change of scenery. In the 52 years they spent in The Gateway City, the Browns captured one American League title, coming in 1944. They had only 11 winning seasons in that time, finished last in the American League on ten occasions, and lost 100 or more games eight times.
Set to depart from St. Louis and become the Baltimore Orioles next season, the Browns played their final game on this day in 1953. Befitting their woeful history, and the struggles they had in the city, they fell to the White Sox 2-1 in 11 innings. To further hammer home their struggles, that defeat was the Browns 100th loss of the season.
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It was fitting that the Browns had the lead in that game as well. With two outs in the bottom of the third, leadoff hitter Johnny Gorth doubles, and came around to score on a base hit by Ed Mickelson. That would prove to be the final run the team scored in the city.
Chicago tied the game in the top of the eighth when Jim Rivera homered off of Duane Pillette. Pillette actually pitched a solid game, lasting all 11 innings, but was undone by a lack of offense. The White Sox scored one more in the top of the eleventh, when Minnie Minoso‘s two out double drove in Fred Marsh with the winning run.
It is not as though the Browns were without talent that season. Don Larsen and Bob Turley were rookies that year, and Satchel Paige was still on the mound, fooling the opposition with his variety of pitches. Billy Hunter made the All Star Game that year, although that was more because of his glove than his ability with the bat.
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The team would find their way as the Baltimore Orioles in the next decade, putting their time as the Browns far behind them. However, their legacy as one of the worst franchises in the history of the game lives on.