John Brush
| Birthdate | 06/15/1845 |
| Death Date | 11/26/1912 |
| Debut Year | 1887 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Giants, Reds |
| Positions | Executive, Owner |
John Brush was honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame along with ten other executives in 1946 as members of the Honor Rolls of Baseball.
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John T. Brush was elected to the Hall's “Honor Rolls of Baseball” in 1946
John T. Brush was elected to the Hall's “Honor Rolls of Baseball” in 1946
Though he gained fame as owner of the New York Giants, John T. Brush owned the Cincinnati Reds from 1890-1902. During baseball’s “Syndicate Ball” era, men often owned stock in more than one franchise.
Brush owned the Reds while holding stock in the Giants and the AL’s Baltimore Orioles. Once he focused his efforts on the Giants, Brush built them into the most valuable professional sports franchise of his time.
The Baseball Hall of Fame recognized Brush’s contributions to the game by putting him in the Hall’s “Honor Rolls of Baseball” in 1946. Brush remains a candidate for Cooperstown today.
Brush "traded" Christy Mathewson to the Giants for sore-armed Amos Rusie
Brush "traded" Christy Mathewson to the Giants for sore-armed Amos Rusie
Before John Brush focused entirely on the Giants, he made a series of personnel moves involving the Giants, Reds, and Orioles, all three of which he owned. Amos Rusie hadn’t pitched since 1898 but Brush traded Christy Mathewson to the Giants straight up for Rusie.
He also signed John McGraw away from Brush’s Orioles to manage the Giants and released future Hall of Famers Joe McGinnity and Roger Bresnahan from their contracts. Both signed with the Giants. The team went on to win National League championships in 1904, 1905, 1911, and 1912, the year of Brush’s death.
This book photo is signed by the Christian Gentleman, one of the first five inductees, Christy Mathewson. With 373 wins and a microscopic lifetime earned run average of 2.13, Mathewson was elected in the very first Hall of Fame election of 1936. Mathewson autographs are especially difficult as he died 1925.
Amos Rusie never won a game for the Giants; Matty won 372 for NY
Amos Rusie never won a game for the Giants; Matty won 372 for NY
The Amos Ruise-for-Christy Mathewson sham helped position the Giants as the top team in the National League for the first part of the 20th century.
After the trade Rusie would pitch three more games and post an 8.59 ERA before retiring for good. Matty who won only one game with Cincinnati went on to win 372 more with the Giants.
Rusie, the “Hoosier Thunderbolt” was one of the most feared pitchers of his day. The first half of his career pitchers stood just 50 feet away from the batter. Armed with a 90+ fastball, Rusie was not known for his control.
He once hit future Hall of Famer Hugh Jennings in the head, putting Jennings into a four-day coma. Rusie won 20 or more games in eight straight seasons.
