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Kevin Brown had a penchant for hitting batters. Six times he finished in the top three of the category. In 1991, 1996, and 1997 no big league pitcher hit more. By the time he retired in 2005, only 23 pitchers in baseball history beaned more batsmen.

His most memorable plunking was also his most costly.

On June 10, 1997 Florida’s Brown squared off against William VanLandingham in pitcher’s duel at Candlestick Park. Through the first six innings, neither pitcher surrendered a hit.

In the top of the 7th, the Giants unraveled. VanLandingham walked Bobby Bonilla to start the inning. Jeff Conine then drove a ball that was caught on the warning track in left-center. VanLandingham regrouped and got the next batter Charles Johnson to loft a foul ball in back of first.

Six-time Gold Glove first baseman JT Snow nestled under the ball and inexplicably dropped it to extend the at bat. Three pitches later the Johnson made the most of his second chance and hit a two-run homer. VanLandingham’s no-hitter was no more.

After he walked Florida pitcher Brown, Van Landingham was replaced by Dan Carlson. The next six batters all reached. By the time Carlson got out of the inning, the game was a 8-0 laugher.

After the long inning Brown took the hill and maintained his dominance. He retired the side in order in the 7th to put him six outs away from a perfect game.

The 8th inning figured to be his biggest remaining obstacle. Facing the heart of the order, Brown dispatched Barry Bonds on a 2-2 pitch. He then struck out Jeff Kent for the second out. Now past the biggest threats of the Giants order, Brown squared off against Marvin Benard.

Brown quickly got ahead to a 1-ball-2-strike count. His 86th pitch of the night was a cut fastball the rode in on the left-hand hitting Benard and grazed him on the right leg.

Though the perfect game was over, Brown was still locked in. Twelve pitches and four outs later he completed the no-hitter. The gem was the second in Marlins franchise history, the first by a right-hander and the first on the road.

Shown here is a ticket to Brown’s no-hitter signed by the pitcher himself.

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Why doesn’t Kevin Brown get more love?

When mentioning the great pitchers of his era, Brown’s name is rarely brought up.

It should be.

The 6’4″ hurler had five top-six finishes in Cy Young balloting, led the league in wins once, ERA twice, and WHIP twice. When it comes to WAR, Brown topped his circuit’s pitchers twice, finished second once, and third twice. His 68.2 career WAR ranks 36th among all pitchers in the game’s history.

Strong and durable, Brown made 25 or more starts in 13 seasons, leading the league in the category three times. Only 66 pitchers in baseball history started more games in their careers. Though he never led the league in complete games, Brown finished in the league’s top-5 in the category six times and in the top-10 nine times overall.

During a dominant five-year peak from 1996-2000, Brown was the National League’s finest pitcher. Each season he was in the Senior Circuit’s top-3 in WAR. An All Star in four of those five seasons, Brown averaged more than 210 strikeouts and 240 innings per year.

The leader in ERA, ERA+, shutouts, WHIP, and pitchers’ WAR in 1996, Brown finished second in the Cy Young race. The following year his 2.69 mark was bested by only four NL hurlers. His 16 wins and 205 strikeouts helped the Marlins win in all in ’97.

In 1998, Brown put up a career-best 8.9 WAR while leading the league in starts and finishing second in ERA and innings pitched. The ’99 campaign was more of the same. His second-straight 18-win season featured his 3rd consecutive season with at least 200 Ks.

The first year of the new millennium Brown had the NL’s lowest ERA (2.58) and WHIP (0.991). He also posted his 4th-straight 200-strikeout finish.

During the magnificent 5-year run, Brown’s 2.51 ERA and 36.7 WAR were bested only by Hall of Fame hurler Pedro Martinez. That’s in all of baseball.

Working against Brown’s case for Cooperstown is his lack of a gaudy career milestone. While his 211 wins and 2,397 strikeouts are impressive, they simply aren’t magical numbers that Hall voters like. Perhaps the biggest blow to Brown’s Hall chances came in 2007 when he was implicated for the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the Mitchell Report.

Brown became eligible for Cooperstown in 2011. Just 2.1% of the writers named him on their ballots. The poor showing despite his career statistics and dominance point to the writers’ resentment of his likely PED use.

As memory of the Steroid Era fades, players suspected of drug use continue to gain induction to the Hall of Fame. If the pattern continues to hold, Brown may one day get a plaque via the Veterans Committee.

In the collection is this Kevin Brown autographed Strat-O-Matic card from 1996. Bucknell University math major Hal Richman originated the Strat-O-Matic game in 1961. Advertised in Sports Illustrated and sold out of Richman’s basement, Strat-O-Matic gave its players the ability to make managerial decisions based on MLB statistics.