Schoolboy Rowe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Schoolboy Rowe |
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: January 11, 1910 Waco, Texas, U.S. |
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| Died: January 8, 1961 (aged 50) El Dorado, Arkansas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| April 15, 1933, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 13, 1949, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 158–101 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.87 | ||
| Strikeouts | 913 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Lynwood Thomas "Schoolboy" Rowe (born January 11, 1910 – died January 8, 1961) was a famous American baseball pitcher. He played mostly for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies. He was known for being a strong right-handed pitcher.
Schoolboy Rowe was chosen for the All-Star team three times. He also helped the Detroit Tigers win the World Series in 1935.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Start (1925–1933)
Lynwood Rowe was born in Waco, Texas. He grew up in El Dorado, Arkansas. He was a tall athlete, standing 6 feet 4 inches. He played many sports, including tennis, golf, football, and baseball.
He got the nickname "Schoolboy" when he was just 15 years old. He was still a high school student but played on a team with grown-ups!
In 1932, Rowe played for the Beaumont Exporters. This was a minor league team in the Texas League. He was the best pitcher in the league that year. He won 19 games and had a very low earned run average (ERA) of 2.34. The Exporters won 100 games and the Texas League championship. Rowe pitched, and his future teammate, Hank Greenberg, was a great hitter on the team. Both Rowe and Greenberg joined the Detroit Tigers in 1933.
Winning Big with the Tigers (1934–1935)
Rowe joined the Detroit Tigers in 1933. The next year, 1934, was amazing for him. He won 24 games and lost only 8. He even set a record in the American League by winning 16 games in a row!
In the 1934 World Series, the Tigers played against the St. Louis Cardinals. Rowe pitched well, winning one game and having a good ERA. In one game, he pitched 12 innings, which is a very long time for a pitcher. He also retired 22 batters in a row! He finished fourth in the voting for the American League's Most Valuable Player award that year.
In 1935, Rowe had another great season. The Tigers won the American League championship again. He won 19 games and led the league with six shutouts (games where the other team scores no runs). He was also picked for the American League All-Star team. The Tigers went on to win the 1935 World Series that year!
Rowe was known for his powerful pitches and his control. He struck out many batters and rarely walked players. He was also a good hitter for a pitcher. In 1934, he hit .303, which is excellent for any player. In 1935, his hitting average was even better at .312. Throughout his career, he hit 18 home runs, which is a lot for a pitcher.
"How'm I Doing, Edna?"
Schoolboy Rowe was a favorite among fans in Detroit. He had a charming personality and some interesting habits. He was very superstitious and carried lucky charms. He even talked to the baseball!
Fans, especially women, loved him because he was handsome and very devoted to his high school sweetheart, Edna Mary Skinner. In 1934, he was on a national radio show. During the interview, he famously asked his fiancée, "How'm I doing, Edna honey?" This line became very famous. It made Schoolboy even more popular, but it also led to fans and other players teasing him with the same words.
During his 16-game winning streak in 1934, a reporter asked him his secret. Schoolboy joked 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.'"
The Detroit News newspaper even brought Edna to Detroit before the 1934 World Series. She wrote articles about baseball and Schoolboy. Pictures of them with baseball legend Babe Ruth were in the newspapers. Schoolboy and Edna got married soon after the 1934 World Series.
Later Career and War Service (1936–1945)
Rowe continued to pitch well in 1936, winning 19 games. However, he had some injuries in 1937 and 1938. He even had to play in the minor leagues for a short time.
In 1939, Rowe returned to the Tigers. In 1940, he had an amazing winning percentage, winning 16 games and losing only 3. This helped the Tigers win the American League championship again.
In 1942, Rowe was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1943, he joined the Philadelphia Phillies. He had a good year, winning 14 games with a low ERA of 2.94.
Schoolboy Rowe missed the 1944 and 1945 baseball seasons. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. His old manager, Mickey Cochrane, put together an All-Star baseball team there. This team included famous players like Bob Feller and Johnny Mize. The 1944 Great Lakes team was incredibly good, winning 48 games and losing only 2. They even beat major league teams! Schoolboy played as an outfielder sometimes and was a great hitter for the team.
In September 1944, the Army and Navy had their own "World Series" in Hawaii. Many of the best baseball players were serving in the military at the time. Schoolboy Rowe pitched for the Navy team. The Navy team won the series.
Final Years in Baseball (1946–1961)
After serving in the war, Schoolboy Rowe returned to the Phillies in 1946. He was 36 years old but still pitched very well. He won 11 games and had a career-low ERA of 2.12. In 1947, he was chosen for his final All-Star team. That season, he also made history by being the only pitcher ever to be intentionally walked twice in the same game.
He left the Phillies after the 1949 season. He finished his pitching career in 1950, playing for a team in the Pacific Coast League.
Overall, Schoolboy Rowe had a career record of 158 wins and 101 losses. He struck out 913 batters. After he stopped playing, he worked as a pitching coach for the Detroit Tigers from 1954 to 1955. He also worked as a scout, looking for new talent for the Tigers.
Schoolboy Rowe passed away from a heart attack on January 8, 1961, in El Dorado, Arkansas. He was 50 years old.
See also
- 1935 Detroit Tigers season
- List of Major League Baseball all-time leaders in home runs by pitchers
- Best pitching seasons by a Detroit Tiger
