Known by the nickname of "Buster," Charles Brown was a right-handed pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Rustles/Braves during his nine-season Major League career in which he accrued a record of 51-103, four saves, and a 3.21 ERA. The first professional baseball player from Iowa State University (ISU) holds the career-worst winning percentage (.331) for a pitcher with a minimum of 150 decisions.
Brown was born on August 31, 1881, in Boone, Iowa. He pitched for ISU (at the time known as Ames Agricultural College), winning fourteen games as a sophomore, including two no-hitters against Coe College and Grinnell College. After graduating, he pitched semi-pro in Onawa, Iowa in 1902, with Rock Island in 1903, and Omaha in 1904. The St. Louis Cardinals purchased Brown in 1904 and he made his Major League debut on June 22, 1905. He finished the season 8-11 with a 2.97 ERA.
In 1907, the Cardinals traded Brown to Philadelphia for Johnny Lush. He pitched for the Phillies until 1909 when Boston acquired him. He experienced tough seasons while with Boston, and by 1913 he was pitching in relief. He made only two appearances that season, with his final game coming on April 26, 1913. Ten months after his final game as a professional, Brown died of acute lymphangitis on February 9, 1914 in Sioux City, Iowa. He was only 32 years old. Brown is buried in Onawa, Iowa.
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