Ah, the dead ball era. In 1907, the Chicago Cubs ruled the land when it came to pitching. With a team ERA of 1.73, it’s pretty safe to say that the Cubs had quite a few pitchers duels in 1907. Even more impressive was that the team threw a grand total of eight pitchers the entire season. One of those pitchers was Hall of Fame hurler Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown.
Following up on his 26-6 season in 1906 (probably the best of his career), Brown was right back to his old tricks in 1907. His 20 wins would be the second season he’d reach that mark in a series of six consecutive seasons. His 1.39 ERA was third in National League and his 0.944 WHIP was the best in the senior circuit. And while that ERA of 1.39 sounds impressive by itself, with a park adjusted league average of 2.49, Brown finished third in the league in ERA+ with 179. That was his third highest total in a very impressive career.
Twenty of Brown’s 27 were complete games and Brown even saved three games in his seven relief appearances. Six of those 20 complete games were shutouts. And while Brown wasn’t a great hitter, he did have one of the Cub’s thirteen homeruns in 1907. The National League leader that season was Dave Brain with 10 and the team high was two.
Here’s a look at Brown’s numbers in 1907:
Wins 20
Losses 6
Games 34
Games Started 27
Complete Games 20
Innings Pitched 233
Hits 180
Runs 51
Earned Runs 36
Walks 40
Strikeouts 107
ERA 1.39
Runs Saved Above Average 30
Shutouts 6
H/9 6.95
BR/9 8.73
SO/9 4.13
BB/9 1.55
SO/BB 2.68
Neutral Wins 20
Neutral Losses 6
