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| Ken Rowe | |
|---|---|
.jpeg) | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1933-12-31)December 31, 1933 Ferndale, Michigan, U.S. | |
| Died: November 22, 2012(2012-11-22) (aged 78) Dallas, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 14, 1963, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 4, 1965, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 2–1 |
| Earned run average | 3.57 |
| Strikeouts | 19 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Kenneth Darrell Rowe (December 31, 1933 – November 22, 2012) was an American professionalbaseball player andcoach whose career spanned 60 seasons.[1] The native ofFerndale, Michigan, was a veteran ofminor league baseball who appeared in 26games over parts of threeMajor League seasons as amiddle-relief pitcher for theLos Angeles Dodgers (1963) andBaltimore Orioles (1964–1965). He also spent all but two seasons of his coaching career in the minors; the exceptions came in1985 and1986 when he was the big-league pitching coach of the Orioles undermanagersJoe Altobelli andEarl Weaver.
Rowe batted and threw right-handed and was listed as 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and 185 pounds (84 kg). He signed with his hometownDetroit Tigers in 1953 and bounced among five Detroitfarm teams in the lower minors until November 1955, when he was drafted by the Dodgers, still inBrooklyn. He became a relief pitcher in 1962 with theSpokane Indians, appearing in 70 games, and then received his first MLB trial with the1963 Dodgers. After a six-game, early season stint in Los Angeles, which netted Rowe his only MLBsave (May 7 against theSt. Louis Cardinals), he returned to Spokane until late July when the Dodgers recalled him. He then appeared in eight more games during the year's final three months, as the Dodgers successfully fended off the Cardinals to win theNational League championship. Hewon his first MLB game September 26 with threeinnings ofshutout relief against theNew York Mets,[2] but did not appear in the1963 World Series, won by the Dodgers in a four-game sweep over theNew York Yankees.
In1964, Rowe found himself back in Spokane, where he worked in 88 games, all in relief, and posted a 16–11record and sparkling 1.77earned run average in 137innings pitched. The performance impressed the Orioles, who were locked in a three-way struggle with the Yankees andChicago White Sox for theAmerican Leaguepennant. They purchased Rowe's contract from Spokane September 10 and, four days later, called upon Rowe to take over forstarting pitcherMilt Pappas in the ninth inning of a 3–3 tie atMemorial Stadium against theMinnesota Twins. Rowe retired the Twins in order and then was credited with the victory when the Orioles pushed across the winningrun in the home half of the ninth.[3] Rowe worked in five more games for Baltimore and was effective until his final two outings, as the Orioles finished third, only two games behind the Yankees.
He then made six early-season appearances for the1965 Orioles before returning to the minors for the rest of his active career. In his brief MLB career, Rowe posted a 2–1 record with a 3.21ERA and onesave in 26games pitched, including ninegames finished, 19strikeouts, 14walks, and45+1⁄3innings. He allowed 55hits.
His acquisition by Baltimore in late 1964 marked a long association with the Orioles, whom he served as a minor league manager, pitching coach and pitching coordinator, and MLB pitching coach through 1986. After working in the Yankees' andPhiladelphia Phillies' systems, he joined theCleveland Indians in 1991 as a minor league pitching coach, working with the Triple-ABuffalo Bisons and theShort-seasonMahoning Valley Scrappers,[4] among other assignments, for 22 seasons until his death in 2012.[1]
| Preceded by | Baltimore Oriolespitching coach 1985–1986 | Succeeded by |