Steve Brye

[William Malone]

Stephen Robert Brye was born on February 4, 1949 in Alameda, California.

The Minnesota Twins drafted him 17th overall 1967, He debuted for them in 1970, going 2-for-11 (.182) at the plate in limited big league action. Brye appeared in 28 games for the Twins in 1971, and began to play more regularly starting in 1972. He hit .264 with 19 home runs and 143 RBI across 500 games between 1972 and 1976, seeing a healthy dose of action at all three outfield spots.

Brye is most remembered for failing to catch a seemingly routine fly ball on the final day of the 1976 regular season. This allowed Kansas City Royals third baseman George Brett to win the batting title over Hal McRae, who also played for the Royals. There is no conclusive evidence that Brye did this on purpose, but countless people have come up with conspiracy theories as to why such an easy fly ball off the bat of Brett fell in for a hit.

One theory is that Brye did not want an African American player to win the batting title. Another common theory is that Brye did not want a designated hitter to win the award. The DH rule was adopted by the American League in 1972, and many players still objected to it in the early years. Brye has always insisted that he simply got a bad read on the ball.

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired him for cash during spring training in 1977. He played 94 games for them that season, and 66 more for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1978.

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