Bobby Brown, ex-Yank and former AL president, dies at 96

At the very first Old-Timers' Day at Yankee Stadium, on the final day of the 1947 season, 22-year-old rookie Bobby Brown watched wide-eyed from the dugout.

Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb were on the field. Joe DiMaggio wasn't a face on a ballpark monument then — he was a teammate.

All of a sudden, the festivities took a dark turn. Hall of Famer Home Run Baker tried to beat out a bunt and collapsed near first base.

Brown was the only one in the surrounding area with any medical training. Quickly summoned to tend to the 61-year-old Baker, Brown rushed out and dispensed his best advice.

"I told him, 'Get up, get up!'" Brown recalled a few years ago. "I guess it worked."

Worked out pretty well, too, for Brown, one of baseball's most distinguished major leaguers on and off the field.

Five-time champion with the New York Yankees.

Highest World Series batting average of anyone with at least 35 plate appearances. Veteran of World War II and the Korean War. Prominent cardiologist. American League president.

Brown died at 96 on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas, the Yankees said.

They said he was last remaining person to play for the team in the 1940s.

Brown played with the Yankees from 1947-54, with Yogi Berra his roommate.

Overall, the third baseman batted .279 with 22 home runs and 237 RBIs. Known as a terrific contact hitter, Brown struck out just 88 times in 1,863 plate appearances.

Brown was president of the American League from 1984-94, when he also was on the board of directors for the Hall of Fame.

Commissioner Rob Manfred called him a "proud Yankee" and "quiet star."