Bobby Brown, an infielder who played on five World Series champions with the New York Yankees and later became a cardiologist and president of the American League, has died. He was 96.
He died Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas, the Yankees said.
Brown played with the Yankees from 1946 to ’54, with Yogi Berra his roommate. He spent eight seasons in the majors and played in a career-high 113 games in 1948, batting .300 with three home runs and 48 RBI. Overall, he batted .279 with 22 home runs and 237 RBI.
He was president of the American League from 1984 to ’94.
Commissioner Rob Manfred called him a “proud Yankee” and “quiet star.”
“Dr. Bobby Brown led an extraordinary life, which included great accomplishments on the baseball field and as a leader and executive in our game,” Manfred said in a statement.
Brown was born on Oct. 25, 1924, in Seattle and went to the same San Francisco high school as Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio. He enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and signed with the Yankees in 1946.
Brown continued his military service when he was called up by the Army medical corps in the middle of the 1952 season and was overseas during the Korean War for 19 months. He played in 28 games for the Yankees in May and June 1954 before retiring from baseball.
Brown is survived by his son, Dr. Pete Brown, daughters Beverley Dale and Kaydee Bailey, 11 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Brown’s wife of more than 60 years, Sara, died in 2012.