| John Lowenstein | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (1947-01-27)January 27, 1947 (age 78) Wolf Point, Montana, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 2, 1970, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 4, 1985, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .253 |
| Home runs | 116 |
| Runs batted in | 441 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
John Lee Lowenstein (born January 27, 1947) is an American former professionalbaseballoutfielder anddesignated hitter who played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theCleveland Indians,Texas Rangers, andBaltimore Orioles.
Lowenstein was born inWolf Point, Montana. He attendedNorte Vista High School inRiverside, California, and theUniversity of California, Riverside where he was a three-yearletterman with theHighlanders between 1966 and 1968.[1][2] As an All-American in his senior year,[3] he led the team in seven offensive categories includingbatting average (.393) andon-base andslugging percentages (.488 and .600 respectively). He was the first person in UC Riverside history to both receive anathletic scholarship and be selected in theMLB draft,[4][5] 401st overall in the 18th round by the Cleveland Indians in1968.[6] He was inducted into the UC Riverside Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989.[4]
Although he never played in a major league game for them, Lowenstein was briefly a member of the expansionToronto Blue Jays between the1976 and1977 seasons. He was traded by the Indians to the Blue Jays for designated hitterRico Carty, and reacquired in the same off-season for utility infielderHéctor Torres.
Lowenstein is known for being part of a left-fieldplatoon during the late 1970s and early 1980s withGary Roenicke for theBaltimore Orioles.[7][8] He had been claimed offwaivers by the Orioles from the Rangers on November 27, 1978.[9]
Lowenstein hit an extra inning walk-off home run for theBaltimore Orioles to win Game 1 of the 1979 American League playoffs against theCalifornia Angels.[10] He also made a spectacular, off-the-wall catch to rob the Phillies'Bo Diaz of a home-run in Game One of the1983 World Series[11] and hit a home run for the Orioles in Game 2.[7] Lowenstein and the Orioles won the World Series that year, four games to one.
While with the Indians in1974, he started the John Lowenstein Apathy Club as opposed to having a fan club. He explained, "The people who start fan clubs do it for a publicity gimmick, and I don't care for it. I've turned down about a half dozen fan clubs already. They're a big hassle."[12]
Lowenstein was taken off the field on a stretcher in the seventh inning of a 4–3 Orioles win over theOakland Athletics atMemorial Stadium on June 19, 1980. While sliding into second base in an attempt to extend a game-tyingsingle, he was accidentally hit on the back of his head by a ball thrown byfirst basemanJeff Newman who was thecut-off man on the play. As he reached the dugout, the seemingly unconscious Lowenstein abruptly sat up and pumped his fists in a victory salute to the crowd.[13] He explained, "It was simply an opportunity I could not pass up."[8]
Lowenstein was an announcer for Oriole television broadcasts onHome Team Sports for eleven seasons, working as an analyst withMel Proctor. After he was told before the 1996 season he would not be retained, Lowenstein speculated the Orioles put pressure on Home Team Sports to remove him from the booth.[14]
In 1986, Lowenstein served as a backup color commentator (behindJoe Garagiola andTony Kubek) onNBC'sGame of the Week broadcasts alongside play-by-play manTed Robinson; Lowenstein and Robinson called the May 17 game betweenKansas City and theChicago White Sox.