Chet Brewer
*Chet Brewer was born on this date in 1907. He was a Black right-handed pitcher and player scout in baseball's Negro leagues and National League.
Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, Chester Arthur Brewer toiled on the mounds of black baseball for twenty-four years. He played with various teams worldwide, including China, Japan, the Philippines, Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Santo Domingo, and the United States.
While with the Kansas City Monarchs, Brewer was a part of a starting rotation, including Satchel Paige and Bullet Rogan. Brewer had a lively fastball and a devastating overhand "drop ball," especially tough on left-handed hitters. When such practice was legal, he also threw an emery ball (learned from Emory Osborne and Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe.) when such practice was legal. His career also included playing against major leaguers in exhibition games.
In 1934 he pitched against an all-star team that included Jimmie Foxx and Heinie Manush and later was manager of the Kansas City Royals. They played in the California Winter League against Bob Feller and other major leaguers. In 1945, he managed the Kansas City Royals of the California Winter League, coaching, among other players, a young Jackie Robinson. In 1952 Brewer was player-manager for the Porterville Comets of the Southwest International League. He became one of the first Black managers in Minor League Baseball history and joined Sam Bankhead. At 45, Brewer posted a 6–5 record in 24 pitching appearances (seven starts), posting a 3.38 ERA for the fourth-best in the league.
From 1957 to 1974, he scouted for the Pittsburgh Pirates. From 1985-to 1990, Brewer and his staff also coached Los Angeles Inner City athletes on weekends, players such as George Hendrick, Ellis Valentine, Reggie Smith, Rich Perez, and Don Newcombe's son. The weekend coaching led many guys to various minor and major league teams as he teamed up with Jimmy Del Monte, the Minnesota Twins ace scout, and others.
His positive influence and coaching were instrumental to inner-city kids. Those lucky enough to have been recruited to play for him have acknowledged his greatness. Hall of Fame hopeful Chet Brewer died on March 26, 1990, at age 83, in Whittier, California.
