Former Cardinals first baseman entrenched in St. Louis history books passes away

While the St. Louis Browns have been gone from Major League Baseball for over 70 years, their history remains thanks to players who played on the team throughout the 1950s.

One such player, Ed Mickelson, recently passed away, another thread in the fabric of St. Louis baseball lore that is now gone.

Ed Mickelson, the player to record the final RBI for the St. Louis Browns, has passed away.

Mickelson's career was as short as it was uninspiring. He recorded only 37 major-league at-bats, and he logged just three hits in that time. He also recorded just three runs batted in. However, Mickelson's name will forever be etched in St. Louis history.

Mickelson was the last player to drive in a run for the St. Louis Browns. He did so on September 27th, 1953 against the Chicago White Sox. Mickelson recorded his historic RBI in the third inning of the game, and that was all that the American League Browns could muster in that game and in their history. From that point on, the Browns would become known as the Baltimore Orioles.

Mickelson was born on September 9th, 1926, in Ottawa, Illinois, but he spent a good portion of his life in and around St. Louis. He attended University City High School just outside of downtown St. Louis, and he went to the University of Missouri prior to enlisting for World War II. In 1946, Ed returned to the States and played basketball at Oklahoma A&M University, but he couldn't get a scholarship to play basketball. This instituted Ed's switch to baseball for his collegiate activities.

Mickelson received an invitation to try out for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1947, and he walked away with a $2,000 contract after playing only 30 total games of baseball in his life.

Mickelson played 11 years in the minors, and he was quite successful as an amateur. He made his major-league debut on September 18th, 1950, going 0-1 with a strikeout. He was in the lineup once again just three days later as the team's cleanup hitter, and he singled in his second game in the majors.

The American League St. Louis Browns eventually claimed Mickelson off waivers. It was with the Browns when Ed made history, logging the final RBI of the team's history in St. Louis. Mickelson would continue his career after playing in the Baltimore Orioles' system by spending time with the Chicago Cubs. He retired in 1957 and made his last at-bat on May 12th, 1957.

Ed was a first-round draft pick, and he attended three minor-league All-Star Games. Ed continued his college degree while playing in the minors, and he eventually graduated. This set him on a path to becoming a successful high school coach, teacher, and counselor at University City from 1958 through 1970 and Parkway Central from 1970 until 1993.

Mickelson's services were held at the Schrader Funeral Home and Crematory in Ballwin, Missouri on June 30th. He's survived by his current wife of 24 years (Mary), two of his own children, eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.