Al Brazle

Who was Al Brazle?

Alpha Eugene Brazle was a Major League Baseball pitcher. The left-hander was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1936, and later traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher Mike Ryba in September, 1940. He played his entire MLB career for the Cards. In 1954, at the age of 40, he was the oldest player to appear in a National League game that season.

Brazle played 7½ years in the minor leagues before he became a 29-year-old Cardinal rookie. He completed 47 of 117 starts, with 7 shutouts, and twice led the National League in saves.

Brazle finished in the league's top ten in a dozen pitching categories, including games pitched, saves, games finished, winning percentage, and earned run average.

His career totals include a record of 97–64, 441 games, 60 saves, 178 games finished, 1376.2 innings pitched, 554 strikeouts, and a 3.31 ERA. He was a member of two pennant-winning clubs, losing in the 1943 World Series to the New York Yankees, and winning the 1946 World Series against the Boston Red Sox.

Brazle died at the age of 60 in Grand Junction, Colorado.