Athletes - Gates Brown

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	Athletes - Gates Brown

William James "Gates" Brown (born in Crestline, Ohio on May 2, 1939) is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers (1963-1975). He batted left handed and threw right handed.

In a 13-season career, Brown was a .257 hitter with 84 home runs and 322 RBI in 1051 games.

Brown divided his major league career as an outfielder, first baseman, pinch hitter and DH. He is best remembered for his contribution to the 1968 World Series champions Detroit Tigers.

On June 19, 1963, coming from the bench, Brown became the American League 11th player to hit a home run in his first at bat. A popular figure between Tigers' fans, Brown may not have had the defensive skills to make the everyday lineup. But a thing is true, he has been considered one of the premier pinch hitters in MLB history.

In his career, Brown collected 107 pinch hits, including 16 pinch homers, and also led twice the AL in pinch hits (1968 and 1974). His most productive season came in 1964, when he posted career-highs in home runs (15), RBI (54), runs (65), hits (116), doubles (22), triples (6), stolen bases (11) and at-bats (426) in 123 games.

While 1968 was the year of the pitcher for most of baseball, it was the batting high water mark for Gates Brown. With future Hall of Famer third baseman Eddie Mathews reduced to part-time duty due to injuries, and being replaced by weak offensive players, Brown's timely hitting off the bench was crucial in sealing the Tiger's first trip to the World Series and their first championship since 1945. Playing in only 18 games as a regular in that season, Brown appeared 49 games in addition as a pinch-hitter, banging out a torrid .370 (34-for-92) with a .442 on-base percentage and a .685 slugging average.

From 1971-73 Brown hit 33 home runs with 110 RBI in 571 at-bats, including a .338 average in 1971 (66-for-195). He retired at the end of the 1975 season.

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