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Hank Borowy

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Hank Borowy
Borowy on the front page of Baseball Digest, 1945
Pitcher
Born: (1916-05-12)May 12, 1916
Bloomfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Died: August 23, 2004(2004-08-23) (aged 88)
Brick Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 18, 1942, for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
September 14, 1951, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record108–82
Earned run average3.50
Strikeouts690
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Henry Ludwig Borowy (May 12, 1916 – August 23, 2004) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1942 through 1951 for the New York Yankees (1942–45), Chicago Cubs (1945–48), Philadelphia Phillies (1949–50), Pittsburgh Pirates (1950), and Detroit Tigers (1950–51). He batted and threw right-handed.

Born in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Borowy graduated from Bloomfield High School and Fordham University. Over the course of his career, Borowy pitched in six World Series games, and posted a 108–82 regular season record, with 690 strikeouts, and a 3.50 earned run average (ERA), in 1,717 innings.[1]

Major league career

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Borowy debuted on April 18, 1942, with the Yankees, finishing with a 15–4 record, 85 strikeouts, and a 2.82 ERA. He started Game 4 of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals but did not receive a decision.

In 1943, Borowy went 14–9, with 107 strikeouts, and a 2.82 ERA, while being credited with the win in Game 3 of the World Series against the Cardinals. Named an All-Star in 1944, he pitched three scoreless innings in the game, ending the season with a 17–12 record, 107 strikeouts, and a 2.64 ERA.

In 1945, Borowy posted a 10–5 record with the Yankees in the first half of the season. The 1945 All Star game was cancelled due to wartime travel restrictions, but Borowy was selected a "virtual" All Star in an unofficial poll of managers conducted by the Associated Press.[2] At the All-Star break he was placed on waivers by the Yankees, and eventually sold to the Cubs for $100,000 ($1,692,421 in current dollar terms). Borowy went 11–2 for the remainder of the season, including three wins over the Cardinals down the stretch, and led the National League (NL) in winning percentage (.846) and ERA (2.14), as the Cubs won the pennant. His combined 1945 Yankees/Cubs record was 21–7, with 82 strikeouts, and a 2.65 ERA. Borowy is one of two pitchers in major league history to win at least 10 games for two different teams in the same season (the other is Bartolo Colón, with the Cleveland Indians and Montreal Expos, in 2002).

On October 3, 1945, the Detroit Tigers and Cubs met in the World Series for the fourth time. In the opener Borowy pitched a six-hit, 9–0 shutout. He lost the fifth game, and then came back to win the sixth with four scoreless relief innings. Borowy started the final game on one day's rest but gave up hits to the first three batters before leaving. He took the loss and the Tigers won the Series. Before the 2016 World Series, Borowy was the last Chicago Cubs pitcher to win a World Series game.

Borowy is the fourth and last pitcher to hit two doubles in the same inning, on May 5, 1946 (the previous three were Fred Goldsmith, Joe Wood, and Ted Lyons).[3]

For the remainder of Borowy's career, he was plagued by finger blisters and a chronic sore shoulder. Just prior to Borowy's retirement, he delivered one of the worst pitching performances ever seen in big league baseball.[4] Playing against the St. Louis Browns on August 18, Borowy was called upon to pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the game tied at 9-all. Borowy faced nine batters, and was unable to record an out, giving up four singles, four walks, and a three-run home run, before being pulled from the game by Tigers manager Red Rolfe. No other pitcher has faced nine batters in a game and not managed an out.[5] He pitched his final game on September 14, 1951.

Death

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Borowy was a longtime resident of Brick Township, New Jersey, where he died on August 23, 2004, aged 88.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Hank Borowy, 88; Pitcher Helped Yankees Win 1943 World Series". Los Angeles Times. August 27, 2004. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  2. ^ Spatz, Lyle. "Hank Borowy". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research, SABR. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  3. ^ "Doubles Records: Game Records – Fast Facts". baseball-almanac.com. Baseball Almanac. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  4. ^ "Detroit Tigers at St. Louis Browns Box Score, August 18, 1951".
  5. ^ Preston, J.G. (February 15, 2016). "Hank Borowy, Blake Stein, Paul Wilson and the worst pitching performances in major league baseball history". prestonjg.wordpress.com. The J.G. Preston Experience. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Goldstein, Richard (August 26, 2004). "Hank Borowy, 88, Top Pitcher With Yankees and Cubs in 40's". The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2019. Hank Borowy, a right-handed pitcher who helped the Yankees capture pennants in 1942 and 1943, then starred for the last Chicago Cubs team to reach the World Series, died Monday at his home in Brick, N.J. He was 88.... Borowy, a native of Bloomfield, N.J., who pitched for Fordham University, was 15–4 as a rookie on the Yankees' 1942 pennant winners
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