He batted and threw right-handed, stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).

His father, Andrew Brodowski, had emigrated to the United States from Poland at about age 10 to 12, and worked as a lead burner in an oil refinery.

In 1952, after being promoted all the way up to the Triple-A American Association Louisville Colonels, Brodowski went 7–1 in ten starting assignments with seven complete games, all of which quickly earned him a call up to the big league team.

One of those early victories was a 4-hit, 4–3 triumph against the American League (AL) champion New York Yankees,[4] prompting none other than perennial All-Star Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra to comment as to Brodowski's own impending potential for stardom.

[3] Brodowski accomplished this while taking his turn every fifth day, in a much-venerated pitching rotation which included Mel Parnell, Mickey McDermott, Dizzy Trout, and Sid Hudson; however, Brodowski spent 1953–54 in military service, in the US Army, stationed stateside at Fort Dix, New Jersey, during the Korean War period.

[5] In his six-season, 72-game MLB career, Brodowski's stat line included a 9–11 record with five complete games.