Major League Baseball
Notebook: Series' youngest pitcher Brett dies

By Seattle Times news services

	Ken Brett
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SPOKANE — Ken Brett, the youngest World Series pitcher in history and the brother of Hall of Famer George Brett, has died. He was 55.

Mr. Brett died Tuesday night after a long battle with brain cancer. He was part-owner of the Spokane Indians minor-league baseball team and Spokane Chiefs junior-hockey club. He moved to Spokane several years ago to help run the teams he owned with brothers George, John and Bobby.

Mr. Brett pitched 14 years in the major leagues, going 83-85 with a 3.93 earned-run average. He was the winner in the 1974 All-Star Game, twice lost no-hit bids in the ninth inning and gave up Hank Aaron's 700th home run.

He also was known for his outstanding hitting.

Mr. Brett set a record for pitchers by hitting a home run in four straight starts for the Phillies in 1973. He batted .262 lifetime with 10 homers.

Mr. Brett was 19 years, 1 month when he pitched 1-1/3 scoreless innings for the Boston Red Sox in the 1967 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

He had pitched in only one big-league game before the Series, going two innings against Cleveland during the final week of the season.

The team's surprising success that season is still known as the "Impossible Dream" in Boston.

"He had a lot of poise," said former Red Sox shortstop and teammate Rico Petrocelli. "I remember that he was a lot like his brother. He had that great sense of humor. He was very mature for his age and very well-liked."

When Mr. Brett retired in 1981, he had tied the modern record for playing with the most teams: 10, including Milwaukee, Philadelphia, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox, California, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Kansas City, where he and George were teammates.

Mike Morgan went on to break the mark by playing for 12 clubs.

Mr. Brett won a career-high 13 games three times.

He later served as a broadcaster for the Angels and Mariners.

Notes

• The Oakland Athletics resolved the contract issues holding up the trade for Mark Kotsay from San Diego, but the deal now hinges on the center fielder receiving medical clearance from team doctors. An MRI of Kotsay's back, which hampered him last season, was supposed to be sent to the A's medical staff earlier this week. The A's will send All-Star catcher Ramon Hernandez and outfielder Terrence Long to the Padres. Also, the A's claimed left-hander Mario Ramos off waivers from the Texas Rangers, re-acquiring their 2001 minor-league pitcher of the year.

• Former Phillies manager Terry Francona was back in Boston for another round of interviews, a day after he met with Red Sox owner John Henry about the vacant managerial job. Now the bench coach of the Oakland Athletics, Francona was 285-363 from 1997 to 2000 as Philadelphia's manager. Los Angeles Dodgers coach Glenn Hoffman and Anaheim Angels bench coach Joe Maddon also have been interviewed for the job.

• If Sammy Sosa had a vote for the NL MVP, he would've picked fellow Dominican Albert Pujols over Barry Bonds. "Bonds had good numbers and has a name in the game, but Pujols deserved the award more than anybody," Sosa said.

• Milton Bradley agreed to a $1.73 million, one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians, who avoided going to salary arbitration with the talented and temperamental outfielder.

• Catcher Brad Ausmus decided to stay with the Houston Astros, agreeing to a $4 million, two-year contract.

• Former Detroit Tigers second baseman Lou Whitaker will join his old team at spring training next year as an instructor.

• Former Mets and Giants outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo will return to Japan and play for the Pacific League's Nippon Ham Fighters next season.

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company