A bad bunch of Brownies

There are bad days, and then there are really bad days.

And, then, you have days like this for the really, really bad St. Louis Browns, who 87 years ago today have the worst possible day during a 1937 doubleheader in Detroit – losing 16-1 to the Tigers in the first game before falling 20-7 in the second game before a Saturday afternoon crowd of 29,000 at Navin Field.

Hmm, let’s see … giving up 36 runs in the span of five hours, and that includes time to rest between games.

And, yes, that is – and remains – the record for the most runs allowed in a doubleheader.

Elden Auker

In the first game, the Browns are done in by Tigers starter Elden Auker as the right-hander allows four hits while also going 2-for-4 at the plate with two homers and five runs batted in.

The Tigers then race to a 10-1 lead in the second game before the Browns even come to bat in the third inning.

In that game, future Hall of Fame second baseman Charlie Gehringer homers twice for Detroit while driving in six runs.

The losses drop the Browns’ record to 32-70 on their way to 46-108 and another last-place finish in the American League.

The Tigers end up finishing at 89-65, good enough for a distant second place in the A.L. behind another juggernaut New York Yankees team led by a couple of guys named Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio.