Born in McIntyre, Georgia, Kevin Brown eventually attended Georgia Tech and had originally planned a career in marine biology before eventually joining the baseball team. In 1986, Brown was named to the All-America team by The Sporting News. He was renowned for his intensity and his ability, but also his short temper.
In 1986, Brown was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round (fourth pick overall). Starting in 1989, Brown was second in the Rangers' rotation behind ace Nolan Ryan and posted a 12-9 record with a 3.35 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 1989 and a 12-10 record with a 3.60 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 1990. By 1992, Brown had improved his record with the Rangers to a remarkable 21-11 with 173 strikeouts and a 3.32 ERA, was tied for the league lead in victories and was the first since Ferguson Jenkins in 1974 to win 20 games in a Ranger uniform.
Brown became a free agent following the strike settlement in 1994 and signed with the Baltimore Orioles for a season, posting a 10-9 record with 117 strikeouts and a 3.60 ERA.
Following the 1995 season, Brown again became a free agent, signing with the Florida Marlins. In his first season with the Marlins, backed by a remarkable team, Brown posted a 17-11 record with 159 strikeouts and an amazing 1.89 ERA, the best of his career. In 1997, Brown threw a one-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers in his first appearance and a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants on June 10, 1997, one HBP shy of a perfect game.
In the 1997 National League Championship Series, Brown, riddled with the flu, proceeded to pitch a complete game in Game Six, defeating the Atlanta Braves and helping the Marlins reach the World Series, which they eventually won over the Cleveland Indians.
Following the disassembly of the Marlins' championship team, Brown was traded to the San Diego Padres where he posted an 18-7 record with a career-high 257 strikeouts and a 2.38 ERA, helping to lead them to a World Series, which they lost to the New York Yankees.
Following the 1998 season, Kevin Brown again became a free agent and signed a lucrative contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for seven years and $105 million USD, becoming the first $100 million man in baseball. His first season in Los Angeles, he posted an 18-9 record with 221 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA. But, his performance began to dwindle as Brown was hampered by injuries and poor run support. In 2003, Brown rebounded, producing a respectable 14-9 record with 185 strikeouts and a 2.39 ERA.
On December 11, 2003, Kevin Brown was traded to the New York Yankees as part of a deal that sent Jeff Weaver, a minor leaguer, a player to be named later and $2.6 million in cash to Los Angeles.