Eugene Joseph Bremer (Bremmer) (July 18, 1916 – June 19, 1971) was an American

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relativel ...

. He played between 1932 and 1949.

Pitching style

The 5' 8" righthander pitched exclusively without a windup and utilized an overhand curve.

Playing career

Early days

Bremer began his career in 1932 with his hometown

New Orleans Crescent Stars The New Orleans Crescent Stars were an independent Negro league baseball club that existed from 1933 to 1934. The New Orleans team helped produce several players as Pepper Bassett, Gene Bremer, Lloyd Davenport, Harry Else, Barney Morris, Tom Park ...

. In 1935, he joined Winfield Welch's independent Shreveport Giants.

Cincinnati Tigers

In 1936, Bremer joined the

Cincinnati Tigers The Cincinnati Tigers were a professional Negro league baseball team that was based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founding The club was founded in 1934 by DeHart Hubbard, who was the first African American to win an individual Olympic gold medal when ...

, posting a 25-12 record. The Tigers became charter members of the

Negro American League The Negro American League was one of the several Negro leagues created during the time organized American baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937, and disbanded after its 1962 season. Negro American League franchises :''An ...

in 1937 with Bremer posting a 5-1 record in league play.

Broadview Buffaloes

Aside from his time with the Tigers in 1936 and 1937, Bremer was also a member of the Broadview Buffaloes, an integrated team in the Canadian Southern Saskatchewan League. The Buffaloes are viewed by many historians as one of the first integrated teams in all of Canada.

Memphis Red Sox

When the Tigers dissolved prior to the 1938 season, Bremer followed Tigers manager

Ted Radcliffe Theodore Roosevelt "Double Duty" Radcliffe (July 7, 1902 – August 11, 2005) was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues. An accomplished two-way player, he played as a pitcher and a catcher, became a manager, and in his ...

to the

Memphis Red Sox The Memphis Red Sox were an American Negro league baseball team that was active from 1920 to 1959. Originally named the Barber College Baseball Club, the team was initially owned and operated by Arthur P. Martin, a local Memphis barber. In the l ...

. The Red Sox would win the 1938

first half pennant, then the league pennant over the

Atlanta Black Crackers The Atlanta Black Crackers (originally known as the Atlanta Cubs and later briefly the Indianapolis ABCs) were a professional Negro league baseball team which played during the early to mid-20th century. They were primarily a minor Negro league ...

. In 1940, he was named as the West team's starting pitcher in the annual

East-West All-Star Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

. During the game, he suffered control problems, walking five batters and giving up two runs in the loss. In his three years in Memphis, Bremer logged a 2-13 record in league play with a 3.72 ERA.

Kansas City Monarchs

Bremer joined the

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 193 ...

late in the 1938 season, making three appearances in league play with a 1-0 record before returning to Memphis the following season.

Monterrey Industriales

Bremer briefly jumped South of the border and joined the Monterrey Industriales of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

in 1939, logging a 1-2 record and 3.12 ERA in seven games before returning to Memphis in 1940.

Brief Retirement

Bremer briefly retired and did not play in the 1941 season.

Cincinnati/Cleveland Buckeyes

1942

In 1942, Bremer joined former Tigers teammates

Bill Jefferson William Jennings Jefferson (born March 14, 1947) is an American former politician from Louisiana whose career ended after his corruption scandal and conviction. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for nine terms from 1991 ...

, Sonny Harris, and Ray Robinson on the expansion Cincinnati Buckeyes of the Negro American League. Posting a 5-1 record with a 2.73 ERA in league play, Bremer made the West All-Star team for the second time in his career. Two All-Star games were played in 1942, with Bremer earning the starting nod in the second game, hosted in Cleveland.

= Tryout with Indians

= On September 1, 1942, the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' reported that Bremer and teammate

Sam Jethroe Samuel Jethroe (January 23, 1917 – June 16, 2001), nicknamed "the Jet", was an American center fielder in Negro league and Major League Baseball. With the Cincinnati & Cleveland Buckeyes he won a pair of batting titles, hit .340 over seven se ...

were to receive tryouts from the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

prior to the 1943 season. Indians president

Alva Bradley Alva Bradley II (February 28, 1884 – March 30, 1953) was an American businessman and baseball team executive. Early life Bradley was born in Cleveland to a prominent family, the eldest of five children of Morris A. Bradley and the former Anna ...

quickly reneged on his promise, stating to the Cleveland ''

Call and Post Call or Calls may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Call (poker), a bet matching an opponent's * Call, in the game of contract bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking game, trick-taking card game using a s ...

'' that his scouts had seen Bremer, Jethroe, and a third Buckeye,

Parnell Woods Parnell L. Woods (February 16, 1912 – July 22, 1977) was an American third baseman in Negro league baseball. He played between 1937 and 1949.

play in the second East-West Game on August 18 in Cleveland, and based upon that one viewing had decided that the three "did not stack up as material for the Indians".

= Car accident

= On September 7, one of three vehicles carrying Buckeyes players and staff crashed on Route 20 near

Geneva, Ohio Geneva is a city in northwestern Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,924 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area, northeast of Cleveland. The area which would become Geneva was originally se ...

. Teammates

Ulysses Brown Ulysses "Joe" "Buster" Brown (1920 – September 7, 1942) was an American baseball catcher in the Negro leagues. He played from 1937 to 1942 with the Newark Eagles, Chicago American Giants, and the Cincinnati Clowns. Brown died in a car accident ...

and

Smoky Owens Raymond "Smoky" Owens (1912 – September 7, 1942) was an American baseball pitcher in the Negro league baseball, Negro leagues. He played from 1939 to 1942 with the Cleveland Bears, St. Louis Stars (baseball), St. Louis Stars, and the Cincinnati ...

were killed instantly. Four other Buckeyes were injured including Bremer, who was hospitalized and missed the remainder of the season with a fractured skull and concussion.

1943

Bremer moved with the Buckeyes to Cleveland in 1943, posting a 4-3 record with a .494 ERA.

1944

In 1944, Bremer was rejected for military service and returned to the Buckeyes, logging a 5-2 record and 2.06 ERA. He was once again selected to play in the All Star Game, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings in the West's victory 7-4 over the East.

1945

Bremer was the ace of the Buckeyes pitching staff in 1945, posting a 7-1 record and 2.25 ERA in league play, earning another All-Star appearance and leading the Buckeyes to the Negro League World Series. Bremer closed out the All-Star game, coming in to record the final out of 9-6 West victory. In the World Series, Bremer was the star of game two, holding the

Homestead Grays The Homestead Grays (also known as Washington Grays or Washington Homestead Grays) were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro league baseball, Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 in sports, 1912 by Cum ...

to two runs and knocking in the game winning run in the bottom of the ninth with a ground rule double. The Buckeyes went on to sweep the Grays 4-0 for the championship.

1946

Hampered by injuries, Bremer remained on the Buckeyes roster but was used less frequently, posting a 5.61 ERA in 33.2 innings.

1947

Bremer returned to the Buckeyes' deep pitching staff in 1947, primarily in a relief role. The Buckeyes won their second pennant in 3 years, but lost to the

New York Cubans The New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team that played during the 1930s and from 1939 to 1950. Despite playing in the Negro leagues, the team occasionally employed white-skinned Hispanic baseball players as well, because Hispanics pl ...

in the Negro League World Series four games to one. In his only appearance in the series, Bremer gave up 6 runs and 12 hits in a 9-4 complete game loss.

1948

Bremer made only one recorded league appearance in 1948, starting and pitching a lone complete game loss.

1949

The Buckeyes moved to Louisville in 1949, and Bremer reported to the team prior to the season opener in May. In an interview with the ''Call and Post'', Bremer reported that he and at least 4 other players quit the team over unpaid salary.

Rochester Royals

In 1949, the semi-pro Rochester Royals of the Southern Minnesota League signed several Negro League players including Bremer. Bremer suffered from control issues in his first two starting appearances and was moved to left field before injuring himself on a slide into first base.

New Orleans Creoles

In addition to pitching in Rochester in 1949, Bremer returned to his hometown and briefly joined 1945 Buckeyes teammates Bill Jefferson and Buddy Armour on the independent New Orleans Creoles.

Death and legacy

Gene Bremer died at age 54 in Cleveland and is buried at Evergreen Memorial Park in

Bedford Heights, Ohio Bedford Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,020 at the 2020 census. A suburb of Cleveland, it is a part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. History Bedford Heights was founded on February 20, 1951. It ...

. In 2011 Lorain High School honored Bremer between games of a doubleheader on "

Rube Foster Andrew "Rube" Foster (September 17, 1879 – December 9, 1930) was an American baseball player, manager, and executive in the Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981. Foster is considered by sports historians to hav ...

Night", presenting a plaque to his family. Bremer had eight children and one of his grandsons, J.R. Bremer, played professional basketball for the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

Confusion with other players

While Gene Bremer is credited in other early sources with time on the Cedar Rapids Rockets, a Yankees farm team in 1949, the Gene Bremer listed on the team's rosters is a different player. The Bremers on the 1949 Rockets were twin brothers and Moville, Iowa natives Jack and Gene Bremer (of no relation).

References

External links

an
Baseball-Reference Black Baseball stats
an
Seamheads
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bremer, Gene 1916 births 1971 deaths Kansas City Monarchs players Memphis Red Sox players New Orleans Crescent Stars players Cleveland Buckeyes players Baseball players from New Orleans Cincinnati Tigers (baseball) players 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen