Hank Borowy
From BR Bullpen
Henry Ludwig Borowy
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
- School Fordham University
- Debut April 18, 1942
- Final Game September 14, 1951
- Born May 12, 1916 in Bloomfield, NJ USA
- Died August 23, 2004 in Brick, NJ USA
[edit] Biographical Information
In 1945 Hank Borowy became the last pitcher with four decisions in a World Series. He shut out the Detroit Tigers in game one and lost game five, 8-4. Then he came on in relief in game six to hold the Tigers scoreless over the final four innings in an 8-7, 12 inning Chicago Cubs victory forcing a seventh game in which a bone tired Borowy was given the start but was knocked out in the first inning in a 9-3 loss to finish at 2-2 in the series.
A graduate of Fordham University who was a dependable war time starter for the New York Yankees from 1942 to 1944, Hank was 15-4, 14-9 and 17-12 with an ERA under 3.00 all three years. In the 1943 World Series he was a 6-2 winner over the St. Louis Cardinals in game three.
He had a record of 10-5 on July 27, 1945, when he was surprisingly placed on waivers by the Yankees and claimed by the Chicago Cubs. He was then 11-2 over the final two months to play in what was then the team's last National League pennant. With his overall record of 21-7, Hank became only the third pitcher in big league history to win 20 games in a season divided between the two leagues. Rick Sutcliffe (1984) and Bartolo Colon (2002) have done it since.
He was with the Cubs for three more seasons before moving to the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and back to the Detroit Tigers, where his 10 year career ended in 1951 with a record of 108-82.
Hank Borowy worked in a New Jersey defense plant as a supervisor in 1942-1943. With the USO in 1943-1944 and spent the winter of 1944-1945 working at the Eastern Tool and Manufacturing Company in Bloomfield.
Borowy, a real estate broker in his hometown of Bloomfield, NJ, for 30 years after leaving baseball, retired to Sea Ranch Lake, FL where he lived for several years, died on August 23, 2004, in Brick, NJ at the age of 88.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 2-time AL All-Star (1944 & 1945)
- NL Winning Percentage Leader (1945)
- 15 Wins Seasons: 3 (1942, 1944 & 1945)
- 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1945)
- 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 4 (1943-1946)
- Won a World Series with the New York Yankees in 1943
[edit] Sources
Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
