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Schoolboy Rowe

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Schoolboy Rowe
Rowe with San Diego Padres (PCL), 1950
Pitcher
Born: (1910-01-11)January 11, 1910
Waco, Texas, U.S.
Died: January 8, 1961(1961-01-08) (aged 50)
El Dorado, Arkansas, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 15, 1933, for the Detroit Tigers
Last MLB appearance
September 13, 1949, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Win–loss record158–101
Earned run average3.87
Strikeouts913
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Lynwood Thomas "Schoolboy" Rowe (January 11, 1910 – January 8, 1961) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Detroit Tigers (1932–42) and Philadelphia Phillies (1943, 1946–49). He was a three-time All-Star (1935, 1936 & 1947) and a member of three Tigers' World Series teams (1934, 1935 & 1940).

Early years

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Rowe was born in Waco, Texas, in 1910. He waw brought up in El Dorado, Arkansas,[1] and attended El Dorado High School. Growing to 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), Rowe was an all-around athlete, competing in tennis, golf, and football, as well as baseball. He received the nickname "Schoolboy" while playing on a men's team as a 15-year-old high school student.

Professinal baseball

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Minor leagues

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In 1932, Rowe played for the Beaumont Exporters in the Texas League, leading the league with a 2.34 earned run average and winning 19 games. The 1932 Exporters won 100 games and the Texas League championship, with Rowe pitching and future Detroit Tigers teammate Hank Greenberg leading the team in batting. Greenberg and Rowe were both called up to the Tigers in 1933.

The 1934 and 1935 American League pennants

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Rowe joined the Tigers in 1933 and the following year went 24–8 which included a then American League record 16 consecutive wins. In the 1934 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals' Gashouse Gang, Rowe was 1–1 in two starts with a 2.95 ERA. In Game 2, Rowe pitched a 12-inning complete game, allowing two earned runs and retiring 22 consecutive batters.[2] In Game 6, Rowe pitched another complete game, allowing four runs, but Paul "Daffy" Dean held the Tigers to only three.[3] Schoolboy finished fourth in the American League's 1934 Most Valuable Player voting behind teammates Mickey Cochrane, who won, and Charlie Gehringer.

Rowe had another strong year in 1935 as the Tigers won their second consecutive American League pennant. He finished the regular season with a record of 19–13 with 21 complete games and a league-leading six shutouts and was selected for the American League All-Star team. Rowe went 1–2 in the 1935 World Series despite a 2.51 ERA. He was the losing pitcher in the first game, a 3–0 Cubs victory, striking out eight batters, pitching a complete game and allowing only two earned runs. In Game 3, Rowe got the win, pitching four innings in relief. In Game 5, Rowe threw another complete game, allowing two earned runs as the Tigers lost 3–1. However, Detroit would go on to win Game 6 to clinch the World Series.

Rowe was known both for his powerful pitching and control. In the 1934 and 1935 seasons, he had 149 strikeouts (third in the AL) and 140 strikeouts (second in the AL), respectively. He also led the American League in strikeout-to-walk ratio in both 1934 and 1935 finishing in the top four in the league in bases on balls per 9 innings pitched seven times, including a career and league best 1.31 in 1943.

Rowe also contributed to the Tigers' success in 1934 and 1935 with his hitting. In 1934, he hit for a .303 batting average and had eight doubles, two home runs, and 22 RBIs in 109 at bats. In 1935, he raised his average to .312 with three home runs and 28 RBIs in 109 at bats. In his 15 seasons in the big leagues, Rowe hit 18 home runs (14th best in major league history for a pitcher) and 153 RBIs. His career batting average was .263 (239-for-909).

"How'm I Doing, Edna?"

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With his southern charm and eccentricities, Schoolboy Rowe became a fan favorite in Detroit. He was known as a superstitious player who carried good-luck charms,[4] including "a magical US Eagle ten-dollar coin" as well as "enchanted copper pieces from Belgium and The Netherlands, a fortunate black penny from Canada and a chipped but still powerful jade elephant from the Orient."[5] He also avoided stepping on the chalk line while walking to and from the mound, always picked up his glove with his right hand and dropped it with his left hand, and even talked to the ball.[6]

Rowe was loved particularly by female fans for his good looks and public devotion to his high-school sweetheart, Edna Mary Skinner. During a September 13, 1934, nationally broadcast interview on the popular Rudy Vallee radio show, Rowe asked his fiancee, "How'm I doing, Edna honey?" The line became famous and the incident endeared Schoolboy to women across the country, but led to relentless heckling from fans and opposing players, who enjoyed taunting him with his own words: "How'm I doing, Edna?"

During his 16-game win streak in 1934, a reporter asked him for his secret, and Schoolboy responded that he would "just eat a lot of vittles, climb on that mound, wrap my fingers around the ball and say to it, 'Edna, honey, let's go.'"[who?]

Prior to the 1934 World Series, the Detroit News brought Edna to Detroit to write about baseball, Schoolboy, cooking or whatever she pleased. Pictures of the pair posing with Babe Ruth were published in the newspapers as the nation became caught up in the courtship of Schoolboy and Edna.[who?]

At the conclusion of the 1934 World Series, Rowe and Skinner were married on October 11, 1934, in a small ceremony in a suite at the Detroit Leland Hotel. Rowe's roomate Pete Fox and his wife were the attendants at the ceremony. When Rowe appeared the prior day at the County Building to secure his marriage license, he was met by a crowd of fans and reporters and was forced to seek refuge in the chambers of Judge Lester Moll. After securing the license, Rowe "strode through the mob" and caught a taxi.[7]

Middle years (1936–1941)

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Rowe in 1936

Rowe continued to pitch well in 1936, finishing with a 19–10 record. However, in 1937 and 1938 Rowe broke down and he was limited to 31 and 21 innings respectively before being sent down to the minor leagues.

In 1939, Rowe returned to the Tigers and, in 1940, he led the American League with an .842 winning percentage—a record of 16–3. His 16 wins, 3.46 ERA, and 138 Adjusted ERA+ (5th in AL) were instrumental in leading the Tigers to the 1940 pennant, and he finished No. 7 in that year's AL Most Valuable Player voting, though he fared badly in the 1940 World Series as he lost two games and had an ERA of 17.18. In Game 2, he gave up 5 runs in 3+1⁄3 innings, and was knocked out in the first inning of Game 6.

Brooklyn and Philadelphia (1942-1943)

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Rowe appeared in two games for Detroit in April 1942, compiling a 1-0 record, and giving up no runs in 10-1/3 innings.[8] After Rowe got his win against the Chicago White Sox on April 21, Chicago manager Jimmy Dykes said: "Rowe wasn't one-tenth as fast as he was eight years ago. I don't see how he got us out."[9]

Rowe was sold to Brooklyn on April 30, 1942, for "a little more than the waiver price" after all teams in the American League granted waivers on him.[9] He appeared in nine games for the Dodgers, mostly in relief, compiling a 1–0 record with a 5.34 ERA.[8] Rowe was optioned to the Montreal Royals in August 1942. He appeared in three games for Montreal, compiling a 2-1 record with an impressive 2.05 ERA.[10]

In March 1943, Montreal sold Rowe to the Philadelphia Phillies. Philadelphia manager Bucky Harris, who had managed Rowe as a rookie in 1933, said at the time:

I'll still take him and gladly. He can still pitch in my book. I am not going to say he is the same kind of a pitcher he was for me in Detroit, but he knows his stuff. He can't fire the ball up there with the zip it used to have, but it is still plenty fast. He is pitching with his head now, instead of his arm, and being a lot smarter than he was 10 years ago, he should make a good pitcher for us.[11]

Despite playing for a team that compiled a 64-90-3 record, Rowe compiled an impressive 14–8 record with a 2.94 ERA in 27 games.[8] He finished 14th in the 1943 National League MVP voting, higher than any other player on the Phillies club (Babe Dahlgren was 29th).[12]

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In January 1944, as World War II was being fought, Rowe passed a military physical and was assigned to the Navy.[13] He missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons to service in the Navy. He was assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station where his former manager, Mickey Cochrane, put together an All-Star baseball team that included Rowe, Bob Feller, Johnny Mize and Billy Herman.[14] The 1944 Great Lakes team, sometimes called the "Seventeenth Major league club,"[15] compiled a 48–2 record, including an 11–1 record against major league teams. Rowe played as an outfielder as well as a pitcher and led the Great Lakes team with a .446 batting average.[16]

In one memorable game in August 1944, Rowe hit a double, a triple, and a home run for the Great Lakes team, and the local newspaper reported that "...it was his circuit clout which brought deafening roars from the 6,000 park customers. The 'Schoolboy' teed off on one of (Gerard) 'Slim' DeLion's slow curves and drove the horsehide straight over the center field fence, a tremendous wallop of at least 450 feet."

In September 1944, the Army and Navy staged a military service World Series in Hawaii, billed by locals as the "real World Series", because so many of the best players in baseball were in the service. Rowe pitched for the Navy team that also included Dom DiMaggio and Phil Rizzuto.[17] Admiral Nimitz threw out the first pitch, and Rowe's Navy team swept the first six games and finally won eight while losing two and tying one.[14]

Rowe was discharged from the Navy at the Memphis naval station in November 1945. He said he planned to return to Arkansas for the winter and report to the Phillies in the spring.[18]

Philadelphia Phillies (1946–1949)

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Rowe returned to the Phillies in 1946, after playing only 18 games during his two years in the Navy.[19] Rowe came back strong, compiling an 11–4 record (.733 winning percentage) in 17 games with a career-low 2.12 ERA. Rowe no longer had the "crackling fast ball", instead learning to "get smart". He noted: "I can't control that fast one all afternoon any more, but I sure can get that dancing stuff over the plate."[20] After watching Rowe throw a three-hitter against Pittsburgh, Pie Traynor said that Rowe was "looking like the best righthander in the league."[21] Rowe's comeback was cut short in early August when he tore a muscle in his right leg while trying to field a ground ball and was carried to the clubhouse on a stretcher.[22] Despite the injury, the Phillies held a "Schoolboy Rowe" night on September 10, 1946, and a local businessmen's association presented Rowe with a new automobile for being "adjudged the standout player in Philadelphia this year."[23]

After a month-long holdout, Rowe signed a new contract with the Phillies in February 1947.[24] By mid-June, Rowe had compiled an 8-1 record,[25] and he was selected to play on the National League All-Star team.[26] On the day before the All-Star game, held in Chicago, was knocked unconscious in a train crash near Chicago's Grand Central Station.[27] Rowe's performance declined in the second half of the season, and he finished with a 14-10 record, as his ERA doubled over the prior year to 4.32.[8] During the 1947 season, he also became the first and only pitcher in major league history to be intentionally walked twice in the same game.[28]

Prior to the 1948 season, Rowe expressed his desire to go through an entire season without an injury. He noted:

I never have gone through an entire season without getting hurt one way or another. I've had something happen to me since I first bgan playing professional baseball with Beaumont in 1932. . . . I have been laid up with sore arms, pulled shoulder muscles, groin, back, leg and thigh injuries and I also had arthritis. This year I'm keeping my fingers crossed.[29]

Rowe appeared in 30 games in 1948, 20 as a starter, compiling a 10-10 with a 4.07 ERA.[8] However, his hope for an injury-free season was unfulfilled. Rowe's left thumb was broken on May 5 while trying to knock down "a vicious drive" off the bat of Peanuts Lowrey.[30][31] As a result of the injury, Rowe became the second player in major league history (after Pete Gray in 1945) to bat one-handed.[31] Against the advice of doctors, Rowe returned to action on May 26 with a big plaster cast on his left thumb. He pitched 2-1/3 innings giving up only two scattered hits. When he came to the plate in the eighth inning, Rowe ignored manager Ben Chapman's order to take three strikes and sit down, instead swinging the bat with his right hand and pounding a line drive into left field for a single.[31][32] During his stint as a one-handed batter, Rowe had three hits in five at bats "and was robbed of another blow by a great piece of defensive work."[33]

In 1949, he was used primarily as a relief pitcher, appearing in six games as a starter and 17 games in relief, while tallying a losing record of 3-7 with a 4.82 ERA. He appeared in his last major league game on September 13, 1949.[8] He was unconditionally released by the Phillies in October 1949.[34]

Major league career statistics

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In 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, Rowe compiled a 158-101 record (.610) with 913 strikeouts and a 3.87 ERA in 382 games. At the plate, he had a .263 career batting average and a .328 on-base percentage with 18 home runs, 36 doubles, nine triples, and 153 RBIs.[8]

Return to minors

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Rowe became a free agent after the 1949 season. In December 1949, he signed a one-year contract with the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League. Del Baker, who had been Rowe's manager in Detroit, was then serving as manager of the Padres.[35] After compiling a record of no wins, four defeats, and a 6.47 ERA, Rowe was released by San Diego on June 16, 1950.[36]

On June 23, 1950, Rowe was signed by the Shreveport Sports of the Texas League.[37] Rowe compiled an 8-3 record for Shreveport with a 1.59 ERA.[10]

Coaching and scouting

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In February 1951, Rowe returned to the Detroit Tigers organization, signing as a player-manager for the Williamsport Tigers, the Tigers' Class A farm team in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.[38] He led the 1951 Williamsport club to a 55-84 record as manager and compiled a 6-3 record with a 3.04 ERA as a pitcher.[10][39]

After his playing career ended, Rowe spent the 1952 and 1953 seasons as a roving minor league pitching coach and scout for the Tigers.[40][41][42][43]

During the 1954 and 1955 seasons, Rowe was the Tigers' pitching coach and later first base coach. During this time, after the Tigers made the third out, Rowe would pick up the baseball, then hand or toss it to the Tiger pitchers as they came out of the dugout to go to the mound. He did this to each except Ned Garver, who superstitiously preferred to pick the ball up off the ground.[44]

Later, Rowe worked as a Tigers scout assigned to cover Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and East Texas.[45] In March 1957, while helping as an instructor at the Tigers' spring training camp in Lakeland, Florida, Rowe had a heart attack.[46] He continued scouting for the Tigers in 1957, and in December 1957, he was named manager of the Montgomery Rebels,[47] He resigned as manager in late May 1958, due to health reasons, and returned to scouting duties for the Tigers in Southern states.[48][49]

Family and death

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Rowe and his wife, Edna, had a son, Lynwood Hugh Rowe (1935-1988) and a daughter, Josephine (born c. 1939).[45][50]

Rowe sustained a second heart attack at his home in El Dorado, Arkansas, in January 1961. The second heart attack was fatal. At the time of his death, records were in conflict as to whether Rowe was age 48, 50, or 51. He was buried at Arlington Cemetery in El Dorado.[45]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Schoolboy" Rowe (1910–1961) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  2. ^ "1934 World Series, Game Two". Baseball-Reference.com. October 4, 1934.
  3. ^ "1934 World Series, Game Six". Baseball-Reference.com. October 8, 1934.
  4. ^ Gregory H. Wolf. "Schoolboy Rowe". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  5. ^ Tom Stanton (July 3, 2016). "And a Schoolboy shall lead them". Detroit Free Press. p. C10 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Bob Jardes (January 1, 1948). "Pitching Prowess Of Schoolboy Rowe Revealed In Interview". The Kilgore News Herald. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Schoolboy and Edna Are Wed in Hotel Suite". Detroit Free Press. October 12, 1934. pp. 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "Schoolboy Rowe". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Charles P. Ward (May 1, 1942). "Rowe's Up-and-Down Career with Tigers Ends in Sale to Dodgers". Detroit Free Press. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c "Schoolboy Rowe Minor League Register". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  11. ^ Hank Simmons (March 25, 1943). "Phillies Obtain Rowe; Trade Bragan". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "1943 Awards Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |acessdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Schoolboy Rowe Ticketed for Navy After Physical". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 18, 1944. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b "Gene Woodling; A Champion Outfielder in Baseball's Glory Years". baseballlibrary.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  15. ^ "Schoolboy Rowe to Pitch Here Saturday". The Grand Rapids Press. June 20, 1944. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Bevis, Charlie (1998). The Life of a Baseball Hall of Fame Catcher. McFarland. ISBN 9780786405169. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  17. ^ Zoss, Joel (2004). Diamonds in the Rough: The Untold History of Baseball. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0803299206. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  18. ^ "Out of Navy, Rowe Figures On Best Days". The Nashville Tennessean. November 25, 1945. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Schoolboy Rowe Keeps Mum; Just PItches ... er, Throws". The Windsor Star. May 7, 1946. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ ""Schoolboy" Rowe Made Fast Comeback With Phillies". Somerset American. July 18, 1946. p. 5.
  21. ^ Les Biederman (July 13, 1946). "Hustle Keeps Phils Going, Boss Ben Chapman Says: Schoolboy Rowe, American League Castoff, One of Reasons They're Playing Great Ball". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Rowe Not To Pitch". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 6, 1946. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Cards Trim Phils, 4-1, Hold Margin Over Dodgers". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. September 11, 1946. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Stan Baumgartner (February 12, 1947). "Schoolboy Rowe Signs With Phils". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Stan Baumgartner (June 16, 1947). "Phils End Jinx, Trip Cubs, 6-1; 8th for Rowe". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Stan Baumgartner (July 6, 1947). "Four Phila. Aces to Play In 14th All-Star Contest". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 2S – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Schoolboy Rowe Among 100 Hurt in Chicago Train Wreck". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. July 8, 1947. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Intentionally Walking the Pitcher?". Value Over Replacement Grit. May 12, 2013.
  29. ^ Joe Reichler (March 21, 1948). "Phils Hurler, Schoolboy Rowe, Hopes for Injury-Free Year". Valley Morning Star. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Injured Hand Forces Rowe Onto Sidelines". The Bangor Daily News. May 6, 1948. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ a b c L. Robert Davids (1983). "Resourceful Rowe: Phillies' Schoolboy Bats With One Arm". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  32. ^ "Schoolboy Rowe Fails to Let Broken Finger Interfere With Mound Duties". The Roanoke Times. May 27, 1948. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ Fred Young (June 18, 1948). "Injury Makes Schoolboy One Handed Slugger". The Pantagraph. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ Frank Litsky (October 25, 1949). "Oldest Schoolboy Reaches End Of Great Baseball Trail". The Hopewell News. pp. 6, 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "Schoolboy Rowe Signs With San Diego Padres For 1950 Season". Vallejo Times-Herald. December 8, 1949. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "'Schoolboy' Rowe Given Release". The Shreveport Times. June 18, 1950. p. 41 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "'Schoolboy' Rowe Signed To Give Sports' Pitching Lift". The Shreveport Journal. June 24, 1950. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ Tommy Devine (February 17, 1951). "Rowe Pitching --- and Managing at Tiger Farm". Detroit Free Press. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ "1951 Williamsport Tigers". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  40. ^ Tommy Devine (December 6, 1951). "Schoolboy May Tutor All Detroit Farmhands". Detroit Free Press. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "Jimmy Stumb Called On of Detroit's Brightest Prospects by Coach Rowe". Lansing State Journal. April 1, 1952. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ^ "Rowe At Buffalo". The Saginaw News. May 8, 1952. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ "Schoolboy Rowe To Be Tiger Coach". The Saginaw News. November 19, 1953. p. 47 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ^ Garver, Ned; Bozman, Bill; Joyner, Ronnie (2003). Touching All the Bases. Pepperpot Productions, Inc. p. 96. ASIN B00B6JBVV6.
  45. ^ a b c "Tiger Great Schoolboy Rowe Is Dead". The Flint Journal. January 9, 1961. p. 14 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ "Heart Attack Hits Schoolboy Rowe of Tigers". The Kalamazoo Gazette. March 19, 1957. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ Jack Doane (December 31, 1957). ""Schoolboy" Rowe Selected Manager of '58 Montgomery Rebels". The Montgomery Advertiser. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ^ Herb Dunn (May 22, 1958). "Berry Succeeds Rowe As Rebels' Manager". Alabama Journal. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ^ "Schoolboy Rowe Scout". The Evening Sun (Hanover, PA). April 30, 1960. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  50. ^ "'Schoolboy' Rowe Back to El Dorado to Spend Winter Hunting and Fishing: Veteran of 16 Years in Majors Will Return Next Year". The Shreveport Times. October 26, 1948. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
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