On this day in 1973, one of the greatest players in the history of the Milwaukee Braves claimed his place in Cooperstown. Warren Spahn, who received 83.2% of the vote in his first year of eligibility, was the lone inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame despite the fact that 14 other future Hall of Famers were on the ballot with him.
When the Braves moved to Milwaukee Spahn was already a veteran of eight major league seasons, having played briefly with the Boston Braves in 1942, taken three years off to serve in World War II (where he was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star), then come back to pitch in the majors from 1946-52. Despite that, however, Spahn pitched for the Braves in 12 of their 13 seasons in Milwaukee.
Spahn pitched in 452 games over those 12 seasons, winning 234 and completing 232 of them. He led the majors in wins for five consecutive seasons between 1957-61, and in complete games for seven consecutive years between 1957-63. He made ten All Star appearances, won a Cy Young Award and finished in the top three in voting for the award four more times.
rWAR estimates Spahn's value during his time in Milwaukee at 56.7 wins. That's the fifth highest total in Milwaukee history:
| Player | Team | rWAR |
| Hank Aaron | Braves/Brewers | 90.6 |
| Eddie Mathews | Braves | 90.6 |
| Robin Yount | Brewers | 76.9 |
| Paul Molitor | Brewers | 60.6 |
| Warren Spahn | Braves | 56.7 |
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 2002-04 Brewer Luis Vizcaino, who turns 37.
- 1994-95 Brewer Duane Singleton, who turns 39.