Jack Rowan

John Albert Rowan

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 210 lb.
• High School New Castle (PA) High School
• Debut September 6, 1906
• Final Game July 10, 1914
• Born June 16, 1887 in New Castle, PA USA
• Died September 29, 1966 in Dayton, OH USA

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Biographical Information

Jack Rowan pitched in 7 major league seasons, but most of his work was confined to just two campaigns, for the Cincinnati Reds in 1909 and 1910. Rowan topped 200 innings with an ERA just under 3 (and just above league average) in each of those seasons. Rowan posted a pair of nail-biting two-hit shutouts in 1910, beating the Brooklyn Superbas, 1-0, on June 6th, and edging the Boston Doves, 2-0, on July 13th.

Control was Rowan's biggest challenge, as he reached triple digits in walks in both 1909 and 1910; his 4.1 BB/9 in 1909 ranked dead last among 41 qualified NL pitchers, with his 3.6 result the next year still near the bottom of the table, ranked 26th of 33 qualified NL pitchers. Rowan was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies following the 1910 season, part of a block-buster eight-player swap, with four players going each way.

Rowan's chief claim to fame concerns his knack for avoiding the long ball. He did not surrender a home run over the first 74 games (447 IP) of his career, the longest streak of homerless outings to begin a modern era career.

Eight years before his death, Rowan had the surreal experience of reading his own obituary in the newspaper. The obituary notice concerned the death of a Detroit man with the same name who had convinced his priest that he was the former major league pitcher and, with the priest's help, had succeeded in applying for and receiving a (very) small pension benefit from the National League (apparently the real Jack Rowan had neglected to avail himself of this small stipend).

Notable Achievements

• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (1909 & 1910)

Career Highlights

• NL HR/9 Leader (1909)
• 100 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (1910)
• 74 consecutive games not allowing a home run, longest streak to begin modern era career

Related Sites

• Jack Rowan at the SABR Bio Project
• Baseball History Daily story about Jack Rowan