Parke County Man Famous Pitcher
Fred A. Massey of Joliet, Illinois, explains that Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown was his mother's uncle. "I can remember him coming to our house In Nyesvllle to rabbit hunt," Massey said.
Mordecai, known as Three Finger, turned an accident into an asset and became one of baseball's most colorful pitchers. He was the first Hoosier to be elected into the sport's Hall of Fame. While still a young man, Mordecai lost about half the Index finger on his right hand in a farm implement. At the time he was playing third base for his hometown at Rosedale as well as at Coxvllle and Brazil and other spots. There was no question of his ability to play the game.
After his hand healed, he discovered the finger stub gave him an uncanny ability to put a peculiar break on his curve. This provided him with the nickname that became a fixture in baseball. There was a time he was called Miner Brown because he worked in the coal mines near Rosedale. How Brown worked his way from third base to the pitcher's mound is not all that clear. There is one story that is generally accepted. In an Independent game, the pitcher for Brown's team failed to show and the decision was made to let Three Finger try out his unique breaking ball under game conditions. The rest is written In sports history books.
Mordecai's fame spread, and in 1901 he was with a Terre Haute team in the Three I League. The following year, he was with Omaha, and in 1903 he was at St. Louis. He joined the Chicago Cubs in 1904 and remained with the team as its mainstay until 1911. Brown came into his own in 1906. That year, as difficult as it might be to believe, the Cubs won 116 of 152 games.
Three Finger was credited with 26 of the victories. He was the team star for the next two seasons as the Cubs collected three straight world championships. Three Finger's great rival was the New York Giants' Big Train—Christy Matthewson. Stadiums sold out every time Brown and Matthewson were scheduled to be the opposing pitchers. In 1908, Three Finger beat Big Train in the famous playoff game that sent the Cubs into the World Series.
On October 8, 1908, Mordecal retired the Giants on three pitches in the ninth inning. The first batter grounded to third baseman, the second flied out and the third grounded to the shortstop.
Brown jumped to the outlaw Federal League in 1914 and was player-manager for the St. Louis team part of the year, and pitcher with the Brooklyn Federal League for the rest of the season. He returned to Chicago the following year with the Federal League team.
After the league folded, Brown in 1916 was back with the Chicago Cubs. He spent the next two seasons with Columbus of the American Association. He ended his professional career in 1920 after managing the Terre Haute Three I League team. He did a little managing of Independent teams over the next few years.
His final appearance as a Chicago Cub came in 1916, when as a stunt, he worked against Matthewson, at that time manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
Brown's unusual break on the ball resulted in batters hitting it into the ground. He was, however, blessed with more ability than his freak break. He was an outstanding fielder, harking back to his days as a hot corner player. When he pitched the team had a fifth infielder.
Born at Nyesvllle, Indiana on October 19, 1876, Thee Finger died February 4, 1948. He was 71. His election Into the Hall of Fame came a year later.