On this day in 1952 Darrell Porter was born in Joplin, Missouri. He was 18 when the Brewers made him the #4 overall pick in the 1970 draft and 19 when he made his major league debut as a September callup one year later, becoming the youngest player ever to catch a game for the Brewers, a record he still holds.
All told Porter played six seasons as a Brewer, hitting .229/.334/.375 over 537 games and representing the Crew on the 1974 AL All Star team. Following the 1976 season the Brewers traded him to the Royals, where he played in three more Midsummer Classics in a four year span.
Porter came back to haunt the Brewers in the 1982 World Series, going 8-for-28 in the series as a member of the Cardinals with a home run and being named MVP. Overall he played 17 major league seasons and appeared in 1782 games.
Porter passed away in 2002, or he would have turned 61 today. With help from the B-Ref Play Index we'd also like to wish a happy birthday to 2000-02 Brewer Tyler Houston, who turns 42.
Today is also the 29th anniversary of the Brewers releasing longtime third baseman Don Money. We covered that event in this space last year.