27 best MLB nicknames of all-time
7. Mordecai “Three Fingers” Brown
The tale of Mordecai Brown is an inspirational story that can be appreciated even outside the realm of sports.
Brown suffered a terrible accident as a child, having his right index finger sliced off by heavy machinery at age five. He broke all of his remaining fingers the following year during a fall, after which they remained permanently disfigured.
The accident did not deter any MLB aspirations he had, though.
Brown broke into the big leagues in 1903, where he developed the nickname “Three Fingers” Brown, and made an immediate impact. He recorded a sub-3.00 ERA in each of his first 11 seasons, leading the National League in ERA in 1906 (1.04) and wins in 1909 (27). In addition, Brown finished his career with the sixth-lowest ERA in MLB history.
While Brown’s childhood injury hindered his career in some aspect, it also gave him a unique advantage in some areas. The most notable edge gained was likely on his curveball.
"“It was a great ball, that downward curve of his,” Ty Cobb said regarding Brown’s devastating curveball, via the National Baseball Hall of Fame. “I can’t talk about all of baseball, but I can say this: It was the most deceiving, the most devastating pitch I ever faced.”"
Mordecai “Three Fingers” Brown made the most of the hand he was dealt, and in doing so, became one of the most unlikely Hall of Fame inductees of any sport.
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