Hank Borowy

Henry Ludwig Borowy

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
• School Fordham University
• High School Bloomfield (NJ) High School
• 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

BR page

Biographical Information

In 1945 Hank Borowy became the last pitcher with four decisions in a World Series. Pitching for the Chicago Cubs, he shut out the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 and lost Game 5, 8-4. He came on in relief in Game 6 to hold the Tigers scoreless over the final four innings in an 8-7, 12-inning Cub victory forcing a seventh game. In that game, the bone-tired Borowy was given the start but was knocked out in the 1st inning of a 9-3 loss to finish at 2-2 in the series.

A graduate of Fordham who was a dependable wartime 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 3. He worked in a New Jersey defense plant as a supervisor in 1942-1943, was with the USO (United Service Organizations) in 1943-1944 and spent the winter of 1944-1945 working at the Eastern Tool and Manufacturing Company in Bloomfield, NJ. 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 the team's last National League pennant until 2016. 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 Colón (2002) have done it since, with Colón being the only other pitcher to win at least 10 games in each league. Hank was with the Cubs 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. On August 18th that season, he became the only pitcher in major league history to give up 9 runs without retiring a single batter during a particularly dreadful relief stint in a 20-9 loss to the St. Louis Browns.

Borowy was a real estate broker in his hometown of Bloomfield for 30 years after leaving baseball, then retired to Sea Ranch Lakes, FL where he lived for several years. Returning to his home state, he died on August 23, 2004, in Brick, NJ, at the age of 88.

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

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• Hank Borowy at the SABR Bio Project