Scott Edward Brown, a former Major League Baseball player for multiple teams, has passed away. He was 69.
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According to the Hixson-Snider Funeral Home, Brown passed on Tuesday, July 21. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Cheryl Brown; his children, Alicia Ortagus (Billy) and Matthew Edward Brown; his brothers, Tracey "Hoss" Brown (Laura) and Dan Brown (Neicy); his sister, Rebecca "Becky" Grove (Johnny); and his grandson, Lucian Ortagus.
A native of DeQuincy, Louisiana, Brown was selected directly out of high school by the Cincinnati Reds in the fourth round of the 1975 MLB June Amateur Draft. He became the first player from DeQuincy to ever be drafted by a Major League team.
Brown, who had not played high school or college ball, did not go directly to the MLB. He first headed to Montana to play for the Reds' Pioneer League affiliate. This provided him his first chance to ride on an airplane.
"I went over to Lake Charles, and that little airplane come in for me to get on, and I literally had to get on my hands and knees to get in," he said about the experience, per the SABR BioProject.
"It held about six people. I was thinking, 'Oh, what the hell have I gotten into?' But it wasn't too bad. I mean, I made it all the way to Billings before I puked."
Brown continued his career by playing for the Eugene (Oregon) Emeralds of the Class-A Northwest League in 1976 and the Tampa Tarpons of the Class-A Florida State League in 1977 and 1978.
The Louisiana native continued to work his way through the baseball ranks while playing for Nashville and Indianapolis.
He made his MLB debut on Aug. 11, 1981, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he pitched for just over two innings. He ultimately played in 10 games and 13 innings that season for the Reds. He struck out seven pitchers and allowed four runs.
The Reds traded Brown to the Royals in December 1981, but he never appeared in a game for the team. He tore his medial collateral ligament tore and had to undergo Tommy John Surgery. He then suffered an injury to his ulnar nerve during spring training in 1983, which ended his career.
Once Brown could no longer play baseball, he returned to DeQuincy. He began working the railroad as his father did before him. He worked on a bridge gang before becoming a bridge engineer.
