Chicago Cubs: The Heroes of Wrigley Series presents Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown

Chicago Cubs: From the coal mines to the Friendly Confines

During the next few seasons playing semi-pro, Brown dominated on the hill, winning a league championship and becoming a staff workhorse, finishing every game he started.

His skills caught the eye of the St. Louis Cardinals and, in 1903, made his Major League debut against the Chicago Cubs.

It was during his first season in the big leagues that Brown and Christy Mathewson began their famous duels that would continue throughout the on-going seasons. On July 9, through eight innings, they were both majestic on the mound, not allowing a single run. However, the Giants would later get three runs in on Brown in the ninth but it was a duel that would set the stage for years to come.

While his rookie record was only 9-13, his earned run average led the team (2.60). The Cardinals finished the season in last place in the National League and 46 ½ games back.

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After the 1903 season, St. Louis, who was in desperate need of experienced pitching, traded the unproven Brown to the Chicago Cubs where he would embark on the greatest years of his career.

By 1906, Three Finger Brown quickly became known as one of the best players in the game. It marked the best season of his entire career going 26-6, tossing nine shutouts (32 complete games) and posting a 1.04 earned run average, third-best all-time in a single season.

The Cubs were also a dominant team early in the century. In 1906, they won a remarkable 116 games (tied most in Major League history) but lost in the World Series to their cross-town rival White Sox.

Brown was nothing but stellar the following season, posting a 20-6 record and an ERA of 1.39. The Cubs did not fall short this season as they won their first ever World Series in franchise history, defeating the Detroit Tigers in five games. Brown’s only appeared in the series came in the deciding game, winning 2-0.

In 1908, Brown and Christy Mathewson continued their rivalry. They were the league’s ERA leaders with Mathewson leading the league with 1.43 and Brown second with 1.47. Brown’s self-proclaimed “greatest game” came on Oct. 8, 1908, against the Mathewson and the Giants at New York’s Polo Grounds.