Earle Brucker, Sr.

Who was Earle Brucker, Sr.?

Earle Francis Brucker, Sr. was an American catcher, coach and interim manager in Major League Baseball. After a long minor league career in the Pacific Coast and Western leagues — and after missing three full seasons in his prime due to arm trouble — Brucker was an unusually old rookie player in the Major Leagues. He made his debut on April 19 1937, not quite three weeks shy of his 36th birthday.

Born in Albany, New York, Brucker threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 ft 11 in tall and weighed 175 pounds. He made his first appearance in professional baseball in 1924 for the Seattle Indians of the Pacific Coast League, but it would be 13 years before he would reach the majors. He was even a playing manager in the Western League during this apprenticeship.

He played his entire MLB career for the Philadelphia Athletics and served as a coach under legendary A's manager Connie Mack for nine full seasons, 1941–1949. In 241 total games, he batted .290 in 707 at bats, with 12 home runs and 105 runs batted in. In 1938, his best campaign, Brucker batted .374 with 64 hits in 171 at bats, three homers and 35 RBI. During his long tenure with Philadelphia, he also witnessed the brief Major-League career of his son, Earle Brucker, Jr., also a catcher, who appeared in two games for the Athletics at the end of the 1948 season.