Mordecai Brown
Three Finger Brown's deformed right hand — mangled in childhood farm accidents — became the most feared weapon in baseball's dead-ball era. The missing index finger and shortened middle finger created an unhittable curveball that helped him post a career 2.06 ERA across 14 seasons, with his 1906 campaign producing a microscopic 1.04 mark.
Brown's dominance peaked during the Cubs' dynasty years, where he went toe-to-toe with Christy Mathewson in some of baseball's greatest pitching duels. His 239 career wins include crucial postseason victories that helped Chicago capture two World Series titles.
What separated Brown wasn't just the freak curveball — it was his durability and clutch performance. He threw over 3,100 innings while maintaining that sub-2.10 ERA, a testament to both his unique grip and his fierce competitiveness on baseball's biggest stages.
Career · Hitting
14 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | STL | 26 | 77 | 0 | 6 | .195 | — | — |
| 1904 | CHC | 31 | 89 | 0 | 8 | .213 | — | — |
| 1905 | CHC | 31 | 93 | 1 | 3 | .140 | — | — |
| 1906 | CHC | 36 | 98 | 0 | 4 | .204 | — | — |
| 1907 | CHC | 36 | 85 | 1 | 7 | .153 | — | — |
| 1908 | CHC | 46 | 121 | 0 | 4 | .207 | — | — |
| 1909 | CHC | 50 | 125 | 0 | 9 | .176 | — | — |
| 1910 | CHC | 46 | 103 | 0 | 6 | .175 | — | — |
| 1911 | CHC | 53 | 91 | 0 | 6 | .253 | — | — |
| 1912 | CHC | 16 | 31 | 0 | 5 | .290 | — | — |
| 1913 | CIN | 39 | 54 | 0 | 3 | .204 | — | — |
| 1914 | SLF | 35 | 78 | 0 | 7 | .244 | — | — |
| 1915 | CHF | 36 | 82 | 0 | 6 | .293 | — | — |
| 1916 | CHC | 12 | 16 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — |
| Career | 493 | 1143 | 2 | 74 | .206 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
14 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | STL | 26 | 201.0 | 9 | 13 | 2.60 | 119 | 83 | 1.443 |
| 1904 | CHC | 26 | 212.3 | 15 | 10 | 1.86 | 143 | 81 | 0.965 |
| 1905 | CHC | 30 | 249.0 | 18 | 12 | 2.17 | 130 | 89 | 1.056 |
| 1906 | CHC | 36 | 277.3 | 26 | 6 | 1.04 | 258 | 144 | 0.934 |
| 1907 | CHC | 34 | 233.0 | 20 | 6 | 1.39 | 180 | 107 | 0.944 |
| 1908 | CHC | 44 | 312.3 | 29 | 9 | 1.47 | 163 | 123 | 0.842 |
| 1909 | CHC | 50 | 342.7 | 27 | 9 | 1.31 | 195 | 172 | 0.873 |
| 1910 | CHC | 46 | 295.3 | 25 | 14 | 1.86 | 150 | 143 | 1.084 |
| 1911 | CHC | 53 | 270.0 | 21 | 11 | 2.80 | 120 | 129 | 1.193 |
| 1912 | CHC | 15 | 88.7 | 5 | 6 | 2.64 | 127 | 34 | 1.263 |
| 1913 | CIN | 39 | 173.3 | 11 | 12 | 2.91 | 105 | 41 | 1.258 |
| 1914 | SLF | 35 | 232.7 | 14 | 11 | 3.52 | 83 | 113 | 1.272 |
| 1915 | CHF | 35 | 236.3 | 17 | 8 | 2.09 | 139 | 95 | 1.071 |
| 1916 | CHC | 12 | 48.3 | 2 | 3 | 3.91 | 71 | 21 | 1.262 |
| Career | 481 | 3172.2 | 239 | 130 | — | — | 1375 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.