Marshall Phillip "Mark" Brownson III (June 17, 1975 – February 1, 2017) was an American
professional baseball right-handed
pitcher, who played in
Major League Baseball (MLB) for the
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
(1998–1999) and
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
(2000).
Career
Brownson was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 30th round (856th overall) of the
1993 Major League Baseball draft
The 1993 Major League Baseball draft began with first round selections on June 3, 1993. Alex Rodriguez was selected first overall by the Seattle Mariners. Other notable draftees included Chris Carpenter, Torii Hunter, Jason Varitek, Scott Rolen, ...
,
out of
Wellington High School.
He spent one semester at
Palm Beach State College.
Brownson made his big league debut on July 21, 1998,
hurling a 4-
hit,
complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
shutout, against the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
. , his
game score of 85 is the highest by any
National League debutant pitcher in the
Wild Card Era. Unfortunately, he struggled throughout the remainder of his short MLB career, compiling an 8.54
earned run average (ERA) in the 10 games after his magical debut. Brownson pitched in his 11th and final major league game on July 20, 2000,
just a short time after his 25th birthday.
Brownson had pitched through a torn
labrum during the 2000 season and required surgery after the season, from which he never fully recovered.
Personal and death
Mark Brownson was born in
Lake Worth Beach, Florida.
He was married with two daughters, Madisyn and Aliah.
According to his wife, he struggled to adjust to life after baseball. Brownson developed a dependence on painkillers related to nagging arm injuries which eventually developed into a
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
problem. The couple divorced in 2012, after which Brownson spent time homeless in Florida.
After Brownson retired from baseball, he and his wife opened a pool cleaning business in Florida, before relocating the business to Arizona.
Brownson died on February 1, 2017, aged 41. He was predeceased by his brother Travis and survived by his mother Ginny Brownson and father Jack Brownson.
References
External links
MLB Players Alumni Association Necrology December 19, 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brownson, Mark
1975 births
2017 deaths
Atlantic City Surf players
Bridgeport Bluefish players
Colorado Rockies players
American homeless people
Major League Baseball pitchers
Sportspeople from Lake Worth Beach, Florida
Baseball players from Palm Beach County, Florida
Philadelphia Phillies players
Asheville Tourists players
Arizona League Rockies players
Bowie Baysox players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Huntsville Stars players
New Haven Ravens players
Pawtucket Red Sox players
Salem Avalanche players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players