Peanuts Lowrey

From BR Bullpen

Harry Lee Lowrey

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 5' 8", Weight 170 lb.

Debut April 14, 1942
Final Game August 30, 1955
Born August 27, 1917 in Culver City, CA USA
Died July 2, 1986 in Inglewood, CA USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Peanuts Lowrey, who earned his nickname because of his small size, played professional baseball for 23 seasons. Primarily an outfielder, he also played third base and other infield positions at times. He reached the majors with the Chicago Cubs in 1942 and established himself as a regular the following year before missing the 1944 season while serving in the Army during World War II, entering in February 1944 and being discharged in October 1944. He returned to the diamond in 1945 and had his best season, hitting .283 with 7 homers and 89 RBIs as the Cubs reached the World Series. He hit .310 in the Series, but the Cubs fell to the Detroit Tigers. The next year, he made the All-Star team for the only time in his career and on July 12th drove in 7 runs in a game against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Lowrey later played for the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals (with whom he hit a career-best .303 in 1951), and Philadelphia Phillies.

After his big league playing career ended, Lowrey managed in the minors before being a Phillies coach from 1960 to 1966. He was a member of the San Francisco Giants staff in 1967 and 1968 and was one of the original coaches of the expansion Montreal Expos in 1969. He was then a member of the Cubs staff in 1970 and 1971 and was with the California Angels in 1972. He rejoined the Cubs in 1977, left in 1979, and returned briefly in 1981 until a heart attack led to his retirement. As a coach, Lowrey had a reputation as a master at stealing the opposing team's signs.

Away from baseball, Lowrey had small roles in several movies and as a child, appeared in several "Our Gang" films. He was also a very skilled golfer. He died in 1986 at age 67, a month after undergoing open-heart surgery.