Tony Brottem
| Tony Brottem | ||
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Runs batted in | 13 | |
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Anton Christian "Tony" Brottem (April 30, 1891 – August 5, 1929) was born April 30, 1891. He was born on the family farm in the northwest corner of Hendrum Township, Norman County, MN, a few miles southeast of Halstad, MN. His father, John Olson Brottem, was an immigrant from Trondheim, Norway, who homesteaded in rural Minnesota in the 1870s. Tony was the youngest of 7 siblings. At a young age his father moved the family to Washington state where Tony blossomed into a Major League Baseball player. In primary school at Pacific Lutheran Academy(now Pacific Lutheran University) he was a standout athlete in basketball and baseball.[1] He was noted to have been the primary catcher for Oscar Harstad who also rose up and played in the majors. Oscar's father, Bjug Harstad, founded Pacific Lutheran Academy after doing missionary work in Minnesota and the Dakota territories while the Brottem's lived in that area.
From 1913 to 1915, Tony played pro ball for three different teams in the Class-B Northwestern League, Victoria, Tacoma, and Vancouver. His season at Vancouver in 1915 was strong; Tony played in 128 games, slugging .429, with 6 Home Runs, and a .283 batting average.
After being released by Louisville after just 20 games in 1925, Tony joined Rochester of the International League. He became a player-manager for a semi-pro team in 1926, but he was fired early in the season and saw sporadic action on various Midwest teams until joining Dayton Aviators of the Class-B Central League for his final season in 1929. Just two weeks after being released from the Aviators, and believing his baseball career was over, he committed suicide by slashing his own throat on August 5, 1929, in Chicago, Illinois.[4] The coroner was able to identify the deceased as Brottem with the assistance of MLB umpire Charley Moran.[5] He was 38 years old. He is buried in the family plot in Parkland Lutheran Cemetery in Tacoma, Washington.
Brottem played primarily as a catcher throughout his career; he batted and threw right-handed. Of his 62 total MLB games played, he is credited with catching both ends of a double header three times. Something that would be very uncommon in today's game.
References
- ^ "2001 2002 v 32 no 1 4 by Pacific Lutheran University Archives - Issuu". issuu.com. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ^ "Tony Brottem Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ^ sabr. "August 5, 1921: KDKA's Harold Arlin broadcasts first baseball game over commercial radio as Pirates rally to beat Phillies – Society for American Baseball Research". Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ^ "Baseball player suicides". Portsmouth Daily Times. Associated Press. 7 August 1929. p. 13. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "Tony Brottem, Catcher, Takes Own Life". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 17 August 1929. p. 7. Retrieved 4 November 2020.