George Brunet

George Stuart Brunet (June 8, 1935 – October 25, 1991) was an American professional baseball pitcher who also went on to a Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame career in Mexico. Brunet pitched for nine different Major League clubs during his career in the U.S.

Career Kansas City Athletics Brunet was born in Houghton, Michigan, and attended Calumet High School in Calumet, Michigan. He was originally signed by Detroit Tigers scout and former pitcher Schoolboy Rowe in 1952. Brunet pitched three seasons in the Sooner State League before being released. He caught on with the Kansas City Athletics in 1955, and received his first call up to the majors in 1956. Brunet made his major league debut on September 14, 1956, against the Washington Senators, tossing a scoreless inning in a 4–1 loss. His second Major League appearance came against the Boston Red Sox with the bases loaded, and Ted Williams standing in the batter's box. Brunet got Williams to bounce into a double play. Brunet made six appearances (one start) in 1956, recording a 7.00 ERA.

Brunet spent the next three seasons in the minors, making brief call ups in 1957 and 1959. Brunet was 14–15 with a 3.42 ERA and a league-leading 235 strikeouts in 33 games (31 starts) for the Double-A Little Rock Travelers in 1957. At one point, his record stood at 10–3, but over a stretch of over fifty innings in which his team failed to give him a single run of support, his record fell to 10–11.

One of the two games Brunet appeared in during 1959 was against the Chicago White Sox on April 22. He entered in the seventh inning with the bases loaded, and five runs already scored due to poor pitching and even worse fielding (five walks and three errors). Brunet walked the first two batters he faced, hit the next batter, then walked three more before Jim Landis grounded back to the mound. The ChiSox scored eleven runs that inning on just one hit.

Brunet finally made it onto Kansas City's opening day roster in 1960, but was traded to the Milwaukee Braves a month into the season for Bob Giggie. Brunet went 2–0 with a 5.07 ERA in 17 games (six starts) in his first season with the Braves. Brunet made four appearances when he returned that June, but was reassigned to the Triple-A Vancouver Mounties by the end of the month, and remained there for the rest of the season. On May 16, 1962, he was traded to the Houston Colt .45's for minor league pitcher Ben Johnson. He settled in for his next start, pitching a complete game against the Chicago Cubs in which he gave up just one unearned run. Brunet ended the season with a record of 2–4 and a 4.50 ERA in 17 games (11 starts).

Brunet began the 1964 season assigned to the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, then was reacquired by the Colts on May 12. He was 10–6 with a 3.00 ERA in 21 games (18 starts) for the Colts' Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma City 89ers. He held the Orioles to four hits over seven innings before handing the ball over to Bob Lee for the save. The 1–0 victory knocked the Orioles out of first place.

Brunet's finest season in the majors was 1965, when he finished 9–11 with two saves and a 2.56 ERA in 41 appearances (26 starts). Brunet lost his next nine decisions, a span during which the Angels only scored eighteen runs. In 1967 and 1968, he led the AL in losses with 19 and 17, respectively, despite relatively modest ERAs both seasons (3.31 and 2.86, respectively). and July 14, 1969. On July 31, his contract was sold to the Seattle Pilots. Brunet's career with the Angels spanned over six seasons, his longest tenure with any club.

Ball Four Brunet went 2–5 with a 5.37 ERA in 12 games (11 starts) for the Pilots in their only season in existence,

On December 4, 1969, Brunet was traded to the Washington Senators for Dave Baldwin. He appeared in seven games for the Cardinals, posting a 5.79 ERA before he was released.

Mexico Nicknamed "Lefty" and "Red" during his Major League career, he was known as "El Viejo" or "the Old Man" in Mexico as he pitched well into his fifties. His first stop in Mexico was Poza Rica, with Petroleros de Poza Rica. At 42 years old, on June 20, 1977, he pitched a no-hitter. He pitched for them through 1978, going 62–55 with a 2.55 ERA and actually spending part of the 1977 season as manager.

He split the 1979 season between the expansion Blue Coatzacoalcos and the Diablos Rojos del México. He was traded to Rojos del Águila de Veracruz before the start of the 1980 season, however, he returned to Blue Coatzacoalcos during the baseball strike that interrupted play for two weeks (Coatzacoalcos was one of six teams to play through the strike). He returned to Veracruz after the strike.

On June 10, 1984, he set the Mexican record for shutouts with 55. Brunet pitched until he was 54 years old, giving him a record 36 years of pitching in organized baseball. On October 25, 1991, Brunet died of a heart attack in Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico at the age of 56. In 1999, he was elected to the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame.