Give Me a Hug, Bro!
I had the perfect big brother growing up. Since he was seven years older than me, I could lean on him for advice about school, dating, and really just about everything. He didn’t play as much baseball as I did, but he too enjoyed the game. We used to debate about which was the better Reds team, his 1961 NL-pennant winners or my 1970 Big Red Machine. It was probably the only argument we ever had that I won. Every once in a while, he would come to one of my baseball games. I remember throwing a no-hitter once when he was there. Afterwards, he hugged me. It was one of those few times in life that we embraced. Guys just didn’t do that back then, even brothers.
MLB has a long history of brothers in baseball. During an April matchup this season between the Cubs and the Braves in Atlanta, the Contreras brothers, both catchers, met as opponents. David Ross, Willson’s manager, and Brian Snitker, William’s manager, agreed that the Contreras brothers would exchange lineup cards at home plate before the game. The Contreras brothers shared a long embrace before heading to their respective dugouts. After signing with Chicago in 2009, Willson Contreras made his MLB debut on June 19, 2016, with a home run on the first pitch. It certainly was a harbinger of good things to come – World Series champion that year and an All-Star Game starter in 2018 and 2019. Little brother William Contreras signed with the Braves in 2015 and made Atlanta’s opening day roster in 2020. The Contreras brothers hope to be teammates on an NL All-Star squad someday, maybe even this year.
A trio of Molina brothers – Yadier, Bengie and Jose – have dominated the baseball landscape for many years behind the plate. They have appeared in a combined seven World Series, winning five (Bengie and Jose as teammates with the Angels in 2002; Jose with the Yankees in 2009; and Yadier with St. Louis, 2006 and 2011). All three of them have been known for their stalwart defense, handling of pitchers, and calling a game. Yadier Molina is the best of the three, considered by many as one of the greatest defensive catchers of all time. Yadi is currently the longest-tenured player in the MLB with one team; he started his career with the Cardinals in 2004. His older brothers, Bengie Molina and Jose Molina, made their own marks, principally as backstops for the Angels (1998-2007).
There have also been some famous baseball brothers starring as hitters at the plate. It all starts with two famous Braves, the Aaron brothers, Hank and Tommie. Hank Aaron is regarded as one of the top five players ever to play the game. Mostly known for breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1974, his career statistics are eye-popping – 3,771 hits, 755 home runs, 2,297 RBIs, and a lifetime batting average of .305. Hammerin’ Hank holds the All-Star record for appearing on 25 game rosters. After his playing career and until his death early last year, Aaron was one of the great civil rights activists in our country. Younger brother Tommie Aaron, also an outfielder with the Braves but for just 10 seasons, is of course lesser known. When the Braves appeared in the 1969 NLCS, the Aaron brothers were the first siblings to appear in a league championship as teammates.
Another all-time great outfielder, Joe DiMaggio of the Yankees, had a couple brothers in the game, Vince and Dom. Joe holds the record, set in 1941, of 56 straight games with a hit. He played his entire 13-year career with New York, an AL All-Star in each season. Known as the Yankee Clipper, he won three AL MVP awards in his short career, as well as nine World Championships. His older brother Vince DiMaggio and younger brother Dom DiMaggio were also major league centerfielders. Dom, known as the “Little Professor” because of his eyeglasses and small stature, played for the Yankees’ bitter rivals, the Red Sox. Starring with Boston in a ten-year career, Dom’s 34-game hitting streak in 1949 remains the top Red Sox streak. Streaks tended to run in the family.
Three other sets of brothers, mostly heavy hitting infielders headlined by a Hall of Famer in each pair, are noteworthy. George Brett, the Kansas City Royals’ all-time best player ever, is one of five players in MLB history to garner 3,000 hits (3,154), 300 HRs (317), and a career batting average of over .300 (.305). His older brother, Ken Brett, was a pitcher for 14 years for 10 MLB teams. Ken himself was known for his hitting prowess. Another third baseman, Ken Boyer of the Cardinals, was an NL All-Star for eleven seasons, an NL MVP, and a 5-time Gold Glover. His younger brother, Clete Boyer, also manned the hot corner for 16 seasons, mostly with the Yankees and Braves. The Alomar brothers, Robbie and Sandy Jr., sons of former MLB second baseman Sandy Alomar Sr., had productive MLB careers. Robbie Alomar was an All-Star for 12 seasons and won more Gold Gloves (10) than any second baseman ever. His big brother, Sandy Alomar Jr., starred as a catcher for the Indians and played in six All-Star games.
My favorite brother groupings are on the mound, mainly because of their colorful stories. Phil Niekro and younger brother Joe Niekro, both famous knuckle ball pitchers, are the winningest combination with 539 wins between them. Phil, starring mostly with the Braves, owns 318 of them. He remains the last MLB pitcher to win and lose 20 games in the same season (21-20 in 1979). In that same season, Joe attained 21 victories in his own right. His big seasons, 20+ wins in 1979 and 1980, were both with the Astros. The second winningest combination were the Perry brothers (529 wins). Gaylord Perry, the first pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young award in two leagues (1972 with the Indians and 1978 with the Padres) was the second piece of the Marichal-Perry era in Giants baseball. He is probably more famous for his spitball, a pitch that he perfected and even bragged about in his autobiography, “Me and the Spitter”. His older brother, Jim Perry, also had a standout career, winning 215 games, mostly for the Twins.
Another famous brother, Pedro Martinez, joined Gaylord Perry as a winner of the Cy Young Award in both leagues (1997 with the Montreal Expos, and 1999 and 2000 with the Red Sox). Pedro’s career statistics are remarkable – 219 wins with only 100 losses; an ERA of 2.93; and 3,154 strikeouts. He won the Triple Crown of pitching in 1999 – won-loss record (23-4), ERA (2.07), and strikeouts (313). His lesser known big brother, Ramon Martinez, had a successful 14-year career. In 1990 with the Dodgers, Ramon won 20 games, struck out 18 hitters in one game, and finished second in the NL Cy Young balloting. Speaking of compiling wins in a season, there’s the Dean brothers, Dizzy and Paul, both of Cardinals fame in the 1930s. Dizzy Dean is the last NL pitcher to win 30 games in a season (1934), while Paul Dean that same year won 19. In the St. Louis World Series win over the Tigers in seven games in 1934, the Dean brothers won all four Cardinal victories and recorded a combined 1.43 ERA.
Oh brother, the list of famous brother combinations in baseball can go on and on. Unfortunately, my baseball brother story ended way too early in life; my brother passed when he was just 27. I think of him and miss him, virtually every day. When the Contreras brothers embraced at home plate earlier this season, I teared. Give me a hug, Bro!
Until next Monday,
your Baseball Bench Coach