clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Today In Brewer History: Happy Birthday, Chuck Crim

On this day in 1961, Chuck Crim was born in Van Nuys, California. After going to college in Hawaii, Crim was a 17th round pick for the Brewers in the 1982 draft. It took him a while to make the big leagues (he didn't debut as a Brewer until 1987), but once he got there he became one of the more prominent relievers in Brewer franchise history.

The Brewers briefly tried Crim out as a rookie starter in 1987, but moved him to the bullpen in 1988 and rode him hard. He led the American League with 70 and 76 relief appearances in 1988 and '89, respectively, pitching 222.2 innings over the two years with a sub 3.00 ERA. There are only four pitchers in franchise history who have pitched over 100 innings in a season without making a start: Crim is the only player who's ever done it twice, and he did it in back-to-back seasons.

Among players who made at least 95% of their appearances in relief, Crim is the Brewers' all time leader in innings pitched:

Player Seasons IP
Chuck Crim 1987-91 529.2
Dan Plesac 1986-92 524.1
Bill Castro 1974-80 411
Mike Fetters 1992-97 334.1
Ken Sanders 1970-72 321

Crim turns 50 today. With help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, we'd also like to wish a happy birthday today to:

  • AZL Brewer Will West, who turns 19.
  • 1970 Brewer Hank Allen, who turns 71.
  • Rochester, WI native Ginger Beaumont, who would have turned 135. Beaumont played 12 major league seasons between 1899-1910 with the Pirates and two other teams.