Art Fowler
| Art Fowler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: July 3, 1922 Converse, South Carolina, U.S. | |
| Died: January 29, 2007 (aged 84) Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 17, 1954, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 4, 1964, for the Los Angeles Angels | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 54–51 |
| Earned run average | 4.03 |
| Strikeouts | 539 |
| Teams | |
| As player
As coach | |
John Arthur Fowler (July 3, 1922 – January 29, 2007) was an American
Cincinnati Redlegs (1954–57), Los Angeles Dodgers (1959), and Los Angeles Angels (1961–64), and went on to be associated with manager Billy Martin as a coach with five major league teams, including four stops with the New York Yankees
.
Career
Fowler was born in
minor leagues with a record of 140–94. He led Southern Association pitchers in games pitched (54), innings pitched (261), hits allowed (273), and ERA (3.03) while playing for the Atlanta Crackers in 1953, and led Carolina League pitchers with 23 wins while playing for the Danville Leafs
in 1945.
Finally reaching the major leagues at the age of 31, Fowler made his major league debut in
win came in his first start, a 3–2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on April 25 at Crosley Field. He had a good rookie season, finishing 12–10 with a 3.83 earned run average. He ranked ninth in the National League with 2272⁄3 innings pitched
. In 1955 and 1956, his last years as a regular starter, he combined for a 22–21 record with an ERA of 3.97. He started seven games for Cincinnati in 1957, and then appeared almost exclusively in relief thereafter.
After a poor year with the Dodgers in 1959, Fowler resurfaced in the major leagues in 1961 at age 38 with the expansion Los Angeles Angels. He, along with
He spent the rest of 1964 as a batting practice pitcher for the Angels, but his active playing career was not over. In 1965, he signed with the
Denver Bears as a pitcher-coach, and between 1965–68 and in 1970 he worked in a total of 211 games pitched and compiled a 27–15 won-lost record. On May 27, 1968, Billy Martin became manager of the Bears, and he and Fowler began a long friendship and professional association. Fowler served as Martin's pitching coach with the Minnesota Twins (1969), Detroit Tigers (1971–73), Texas Rangers (1974–75), Yankees (1977–79, 1983, 1988), and Oakland Athletics (1980–82). Under his tutelage, Ron Guidry won the Cy Young Award
in 1978.
Fowler died on January 29, 2007, at age 84 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He is buried in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, South Carolina.[4]
In the 2007
The Bronx is Burning
, Fowler was portrayed by actor Bill Buell.
Quote
- "If running is so important, Jesse Owens would be a 20-game winner. And the only reason I don't like to run is that it makes me tired."— Fowler, 1957.
References
- ^ "Art Fowler Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
- ^ Goldstein Richard, Art Fowler, 84, Who Coached for Yankees Again and Again, Is Dead, New York Times, January 30, 2007.
- ^ Art Fowler, 84; Dodgers, Angels pitcher became Yankees coach, Los Angeles Times, January 30, 2007.
- ^ Art Fowler (1922–2007) Find a Grave Memorial# 17742416.
Further reading
- 1955 Sporting News Baseball Register
- Obituary, Sports Collectors Digest, Krause Publications, March 30, 2007
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Retrosheet
- Baseball Almanac
- Art Fowler (1922–2007) Find a Grave memorial