ED MICKELSON - spent three years in the Major Leagues and played for the Browns in 1953, visiting with Bill Rogers.Milkelson also played for the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. Ed was a featured speaker at the St. Louis Browns Historical Society lunch on May 14, 2008.
Ed was a teammate of Satchel Paige on the ‘53 Browns and got his first major league hit as a Cardinal against Warren Spahn subbing for Stan Musial.
Mickelson drove in the last run for the Browns in the last game they ever played in Sportsman's Park on Sept. 27, 1953. "We went out in typical Brownie Fashion," Mickelson Laughs. "We lost, 2-1, in 11 innings. Jim Rivera hit a home run to tie it up for them after we had gone ahead and they won it in the 11th. I struck out three times but I drove in Johnny Groth from second with a single my first time up and that was the only run we got."
Before the major leagues or PCL, Mickelson was a recruit for Lynchburg in the Class B Piedmont League where he maintained a league-leading .393 batting average. He was then traded to the Southeastern League and along the way of his 11 years in professional baseball also did a stint in the Texas League.
All of his playing days are chronicled in his book, "Out of the Park: Memoir of a Minor League Baseball All-Star" published by McFarland. Chronicling everything from Mickelson getting the last hit of the Browns franchise, to having the second-highest batting average in the PCL, this book tells his unique story.
