Tom Browning passes away at 62: Who was the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame pitcher?
From pitching a perfect game, to sitting on a roof in Chicago with fans, there was nobody like the man known as ‘Mr Perfect.’
MLB fans were given sad news on Monday, with reports confirming the passing of one of the sport’s legendary pitchers and one who will be remembered for years to come due to one particular accomplishment in his long career.
Tom Browning passes away at 62
According to reports on Monday, former MLB starting pitcher Tom Browning died at the age of 62. As per an announcement from the Sheriff of Boone County, Kentucky, Browning was found unresponsive and “resuscitation efforts were not successful.” The statement also goes on to indicate that “no foul play is suspected in connection with Mr. Browning’s death.”
Widely respected, Browning truly came to the attention of baseball fans during his lengthy career with the Cincinnati Reds as a starting pitcher. There, he formed part of the rotation that was key to the 1990 World Series champions. There were other honors as well, including a sixth-place finish in the Cy Young voting of 1985, as well as an All-Star appearance in 1991. Across his 11 seasons with the Reds and one with the Kansas City Royals, Browning was 123-90 with a 3.94 ERA to go with precisely 1,000 strikeouts in 1,921 innings. Considered a workhorse through his prime, he surpassed 225 innings six times, winning at least 14 games five times, including a 20-win season in 1985. Though he went to the post season just once, he definitely made it count as he and the Reds clinched the aforementioned 1990 championship in a four-game sweep over the highly favored A’s.
Tom Browning a.k.a. ‘Mr. Perfect’
If there’s one thing that Browning will always be remembered for it was the occasion on which he threw the 12th perfect game in MLB history. It was September 16th, 1988 and with the performance he became the first left-handed pitcher to throw a perfect game since Sandy Koufax did so way back in 1965. To this day, Browning remains the only pitcher in Reds history to throw a perfect game, hence his nickname, ‘Mr. Perfect.’ A friendly man and one with whom the fans could connect, the Reds pitcher once again came to the attention of the nation in 1993, when he joined a group of Cubs fans on a rooftop with a view of Wrigley Field.
Sadly, Browning’s career came to an unfortunate end and prematurely at that. On May 9th, 1994, he suffered a horrific injury when he broke his arm while throwing a pitch. Though he would make an attempt at a comeback with Royals, things just weren’t the same and his season would see him start just twice. In 2006, Browning was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame, a fitting end for a legend of the game.