Steve Braun

Stephen Russell Braun was born May 8, 1948, in Trenton, New Jersey. He was the oldest of nine children. The family loved all sports. Steve’s first love was basketball, but it was baseball at which he would excel.

The Minnesota Twins chose Steve Braun in the tenth round of the 1966 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft from Hopewell Valley Central High School in Penington, New Jersey.

Braun’s first spring training was in 1971. He had a tremendous spring and made the Twins opening day roster despite never having played above class A before. After being used as a pinch hitter in his first five career games, Braun finally got his first start and first hit on April 16, 1971, against Dave La Roche of the Angels.

Braun was a left-handed hitting and right-handed throwing player who contributed mostly as a third baseman and leftfielder but was versatile enough to log innings at all positions except catcher and pitcher. Later in his career he was almost strictly a pinch hitter.

In 1977, two expansion teams were added to the American League. Seattle chose Braun from the Twins in the expansion draft and made him their primary left fielder. Braun had asked to be exposed to the draft because he was sick of Twins tightwad owner Calvin Griffith. He was a replacement level player for the Mariners for a season and a half before being traded to the Kansas City Royals where he played for parts of three seasons. The Royals released him in June of 1980, but he was quickly picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays where he finished the 1980 season. That offseason, Braun reached free agency and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, and his former Royals manager Whitey Herzog who was now leading the Cardinals. He would play five seasons in St. Louis to finish his career. Braun was part of the 1982 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals along with another former Twin, Jim Kaat.

Braun appeared in three 1982 World Series games. His biggest and most lasting contribution was during Game Two, a 5-4 Cardinals win. In a tie game in the eighth inning, Braun pinch hit for David Green with the bases loaded. Braun’s walk against Pete Ladd drove in the decisive run in the Cardinals 5-4 victory. In Game Seven, Braun’s single drove in an insurance run in the eighth inning for the final run of a 6-3 Cardinals win. The Cardinals won in seven games.

Braun would play three more seasons in St. Louis being used mostly as a pinch hitter. In 1985 he appeared in another World Series, but this time the Cardinals lost the seven-game series to the Kansas City Royals.

His career batting line was .271/.371/.367. He had 52 home runs and 388 runs batted in. He amassed a career WAR of 17.4 and an OPS+ of 109.

• In 1975 and 1976, Braun finished in the top ten in the American League in On Base Percentage.
• In his career, Braun walked more times than he struck out, 579 to 433.
• Braun’s 113 pinch hits are 12th most in Major League history.