Former Pitcher Ken Brett Dies of Brain Cancer at 55

Brother of Hall of Famer George Brett; Youngest to Pitch in World Series Game

 11/19/03 17:30 EST

SPOKANE, Wash. (Nov. 19) -- Ken Brett, brother of Hall of Famer George Brett and the youngest World Series pitcher in history, is dead after a long battle with brain cancer. He was 53.

Brett, who died Tuesday night, was part-owner of the Spokane Indians minor league baseball team and Spokane Chiefs hockey team. The teams confirmed his death Wednesday.

Brett pitched 14 years in the major leagues, going 83-85 with a 3.93 ERA. He also hit .262 with 10 homers.

He set a record for pitchers by homering in four consecutive starts for the Phillies in 1973, and he was the winning pitcher in the 1974 All-Star Game while playing for Pittsburgh.

He was 19 years, 1 month when he pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the Boston Red Sox in the 1967 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

"He had a lot of poise. I remember that about him," former Red Sox teammate Rico Petrocelli said. "I remember that he was a lot like his brother. He had that great sense of humor.

"He was very mature for his age and very well-liked. I'm not saying this because he's passed away," the shortstop said.

The team's surprising success that season is known as the "Impossible Dream" in Boston.

"He fit into the clubhouse perfectly," Petrocelli said. "We were young and everybody could take things lightly. We didn't take losses really to heart. We just played as hard as we could, and that was it."

The left-hander also played for Milwaukee, Philadelphia, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox, California, Minnesota, Los Angeles and Kansas City before retiring in 1981.

Brett later served as a broadcaster for the Angels and Mariners.

He moved to Spokane several years ago to help run the minor league teams he owned with his brothers George and Bobby.