Harry "The Cat" Brecheen

Harry "The Cat" Brecheen was one of baseball's best left-handed pitchers in the 1940's and early 1950's. He became the first left-hander to record three wins in a World Series, doing so against the Red Sox in 1946.

The screwball blanked Boston, 3-0, in Game Two on a four-hitter. In addition, he singled in the Cardinals' first run, and his sacrifice bunt set up his team's two other runs.

"The Cat", nicknamed for his expert fielding and cat-like movements, had a 0.45 Earned Run Average in the series, and his lifetime World Series ERA of 0.83 is best ever. Brecheen's finest season came in 1948 when he won 20 games, lost only seven, led the National league in Winning Percentage (.741), ERA (2.24), strikeouts (149), and shutouts (7). No Cy Young Award was given at that time, but it is quite likely that Brecheen would have been the winner.

His career ERA of 2.92 and Winning Percentage of .589 are among the best in baseball for the past 75 years. After his playing days, he was known to be one of the best pitching coaches in all of baseball.

Brecheen was born in Broken Bow, Oklahoma on October 14, 1914. He is a lifelong resident of Oklahoma and resides in Ada.