Dick Fowler

From BR Bullpen

Richard John Fowler

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 0", Weight 215 lb.

Debut September 13, 1941
Final Game September 1, 1952
Born March 30, 1921 in Toronto, ON CAN
Died May 22, 1972 in Oneonta, NY USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Before the 1940 season Dick Flowers was obtained by the Philadelphia Athletics from the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League as part of a minor league working agreement. The Athletics assigned him to the class C Oneonta Indians of the Canadian-American League where he went 16-10 with a 3.57 ERA. The Canadian born right-hander would be with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1941, go 10-10 with a 3.30 ERA and get called up to the Athletics late in the year appearing in four games with a 1-2 record.

Dick was with the Athletics in 1942 and had an impressive outing against the Browns before entering the Army when he threw 15 scoreless innings before losing 1-0 in the 16th.

Fowler would spend 1942 with the A's going 6-11 with a 4.95 ERA. He would then be inducted into the Canadian Army in January of 1943 and was discharged in August of 1945. One of the first things the 6'5" hurler would do on his return from the service was to become the first Canadian born pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the majors. He did it on September 9, 1945, against the St. Louis Browns. It was also the only time in big league history that a pitcher's only victory in a season was a no-hitter as he finished 1-2. The no-hitter was also the first in the American League in five years since Bob Feller's on Opening Day in 1940.

One other note about Fowler's gem is that he wasn't on the mound at the end of the game, which was played at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia in one hour and fifteen minutes. The game had remained scoreless until the A's scored in the bottom of the ninth.

A stalwart in the Philadelphia Athletics rotation in the post war era, he and Joe Coleman stopped the Yankees cold in a Memorial Day doubleheader in 1947 with back-to-back shutouts. The big Canadian, who won a career high 15 games in both 1948 and '49, closed out his 10 year major league stay, all with the A's in 1952 with a 66-79 record and a 4.11 ERA.

Fowler died May 22, 1972 at age 51 in Oneonta, NY, where he had been employed as a hotel clerk. His grandson, Khalid Ballouli, played professionally until 2006.