| Al Cowens | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Right fielder | |
| Born:(1951-10-25)October 25, 1951 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| Died: March 11, 2002(2002-03-11) (aged 50) Downey, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 6, 1974, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 8, 1986, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .270 |
| Home runs | 108 |
| Runs batted in | 717 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Alfred Edward Cowens, Jr. (October 25, 1951 – March 11, 2002) was an Americanright fielder inMajor League Baseball. From1974 through1986, Cowens played for theKansas City Royals (1974–79),California Angels (1980),Detroit Tigers (1980–81) andSeattle Mariners (1982–86). He batted and threw right-handed.
A native ofLos Angeles, California, Cowens was a product of theKansas City Royals farm system, having been selected by the team in the1969 MLB draft.[1] He made his major league debut with the Royals in 1974 and played for them through 1979. His most productive season came in 1977, when hebatted .312 with 23home runs and 112RBI,[1] earned aGold Glove, and finished second toRod Carew in balloting for theAmerican League MVP Award.[2]
Cowens was traded along withTodd Cruz from the Royals to theCalifornia Angels forWillie Aikens andRance Mulliniks at theWinter Meetings inToronto on December 6, 1979,[3] withCraig Eaton being sent to the Angels to complete the transaction four months later on April 1, 1980. The need for Cowens was the result of injuries toJoe Rudi andDan Ford which hurt the Angels' chances of winning theAmerican League pennant.[3] A shortage of power hitters due to injuries toDon Baylor andBrian Downing by the second month of the1980 season led to Cowens being dealt from the Angels to theDetroit Tigers forJason Thompson on May 27, 1980.[4] He played with the Tigers through the end of the 1981 season. In March 1982, the Tigers sold his contract theSeattle Mariners, where he played until the team released him on June 12, 1986.[5]
Overall in 13 MLB seasons, Cowens appeared in 1584 MLB games, batting .270 with 108 home runs and 717 RBIs.[1] He played in three postseason series, appearing in 14 total games with the Royals in theAmerican League Championship Series of 1976 through 1978,[1] each of which the team lost to theNew York Yankees.
Early in the 1979 season, a notable feud started between Cowens, then with the Royals, and pitcherEd Farmer, then with theTexas Rangers. On May 8, a Farmer pitch thrown in the top of the fifth inning fractured Cowens' jaw and broke several teeth,[6] causing him to miss 21 games.[7] Farmer later said that Cowens had attempted tosteal signs from the catcher and thought the pitch would be abreaking ball away, but it was actually an insidefastball.[8] At the start of the same game, Farmer had also hit Royals second basemanFrank White and broke his wrist,[7] which kept him sidelined for a month.[9]
The next season, on June 20‚ 1980, Farmer and Cowens faced each other again; Farmer now with theChicago White Sox and Cowens now with the Tigers. In a game atComiskey Park, with Farmer pitching, Cowens hit a ground ball to shortstop.[10] While Farmer watched his infielders make the play, Cowens ran to the mound rather than first base, and tackled the pitcher from behind, landing several punches before the benches cleared and the two were separated.[7]American League presidentLee MacPhail suspended Cowens for seven games, and Farmer filed acriminal complaint, resulting in awarrant being issued for Cowens in Illinois.[11] Later, Farmer agreed to drop the charges in exchange for a handshake‚ and the two players brought out the lineup cards before a game in Detroit on September 1, and shook hands.[12][13] A later appearance by Cowens at Comiskey Park was greeted by fans with a "Coward Cowens" banner.[14]
Cowens died inDowney, California, on March 11, 2002, at the age of 50 from aheart attack. At the time of his death, Cowens had been scouting players for the Kansas City Royals. He is buried atInglewood Park Cemetery inInglewood, California.
· Baseball Almanac, orRetrosheet
