Red Borom

Who was Red Borom?

Edward Jones Borom [Red] was a Major League Baseball player who played two seasons and won a World Series ring with the Detroit Tigers in 1945. Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Borom was 28 years old before he made it to the big leagues. He only played one full season in the major leagues, and that season was spent with the 1945 World Series champion Detroit Tigers. Borom also played professional and semi-pro baseball for over 15 years from the mid-30s into the 1950s.

Borom served in the U.S. Army briefly in 1943, but was released because of migraine headaches. "Two days after getting home, I got a call from Jack Zeller, general manager of Detroit ... Four days after getting out of the service, I was in training camp with Detroit in Evansville, Indiana. I realized it was wartime, but there were some good players still in the majors."

In 1945, Borom played the entire season with Detroit. Playing in place of injured second baseman Eddie Mayo, Borom batted over .300 during the September pennant drive.

Borom played in 55 games for the Tigers in 1945, batting .269 with a .307 on-base percentage. He played in two games of the 1945 World Series. Describing his appearance in the World Series, Borom said: "I hit a ground ball up the middle, off the glove of pitcher Hank Borowy. The shortstop, Roy Hughes, threw me out on an extremely close play. I thought I had a base hit." Borom also pinch-ran for catcher Bob Swift in game three.