Hank Borowy, baseball player, 1942-1951

Hank Borowy

Born: 5/12/1916 in Bloomfield, NJ, USA

Died: 8/23/2004 in Brick, NJ, USA

MLB Debut: 1942-04-18 | Final Game: 1951-09-14

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Henry Ludwig Borowy

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Biography

Hank Borowy, born in 1916, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1942 until 1951. He established himself during an era marked by the challenges of World War II, which saw many players enlist and leave the game. Borowy's career spanned significant moments in baseball history, including the post-war resurgence of talent. He finished his career with a record of 108 wins and 82 losses, an earned run average (ERA) of 3.5, and accumulated 690 strikeouts, along with 7 saves. His ability to perform consistently on the mound made him a valuable asset to his teams. Borowy was selected as an All-Star twice during his career, highlighting his status as one of the premier pitchers of his time. Known for his competitive spirit and effective pitching style, he played for several teams, including the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees, contributing to their successes in the league. His impact on the game extended beyond his statistics, as he was a part of a generation of players who helped shape the modern era of baseball following the tumultuous war years. Hank Borowy's legacy remains a testament to the resilience and talent of baseball players during a pivotal time in American history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
108 82 314 214 94 16 7 1717.0 1660 668 108 623 690 3.50 0

Career ERA 3.50 vs. league average 3.83 across their career seasons — 8.6% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1942 NYY AL 15 4 25 21 13 4 1 178.3 157 50 66 85 2.52 3.57 (+29%) -
1943 NYY AL 14 9 29 27 14 3 0 217.3 195 68 72 113 2.82 3.50 (+20%) -
1944 NYY AL 17 12 35 30 19 3 2 252.7 224 74 88 107 2.64 3.57 (+26%) -
1945 NYY AL 10 5 18 18 7 1 0 132.3 107 46 58 35 3.13 3.67 (+15%) -
1945 CHC NL 11 2 15 14 11 1 1 122.3 105 29 47 47 2.13 3.67 (+42%) -
1946 CHC NL 12 10 32 28 8 1 0 201.0 220 84 61 95 3.76 3.59 (-5%) -
1947 CHC NL 8 12 40 25 7 1 2 183.0 190 89 63 75 4.38 3.97 (-10%) -
1948 CHC NL 5 10 39 17 2 1 1 127.0 156 69 49 50 4.89 4.10 (-19%) -
1949 PHI NL 12 12 28 28 12 1 0 193.3 188 90 63 43 4.19 4.12 (-2%) -1024.5
1950 PHI NL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 6.3 5 4 4 3 5.68 — 0.0
1950 PIT NL 1 3 11 3 0 0 0 25.3 32 18 9 9 6.39 4.36 (-47%) -1132.2
1950 DET AL 1 1 13 2 1 0 0 32.7 23 12 16 12 3.31 4.36 (+24%) -126.5
1951 DET AL 2 2 26 1 0 0 0 45.3 58 35 27 16 6.95 4.04 (-72%) -511.3

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
316 571 43 99 22 6 0 48 0 28 138 0.173 0.213 0.233 0.446 -2830.1

Career AVG .173 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 33.4% below league average.

Career OBP .213 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 35.9% below league average.

Career SLG .233 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 36.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.446 vs. league average 0.701 across their career seasons — 36.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1942 NYY AL 25 70 4 11 1 1 0 7 0 1 17 0.157 .253 (-38%) .323 (-48%) .349 (-43%) .672 (-45%) -515.6
1943 NYY AL 29 74 2 15 4 1 0 7 0 5 17 0.203 .255 (-21%) .324 (-22%) .346 (-18%) .671 (-20%) -255.0
1944 NYY AL 35 90 5 12 1 2 0 7 0 3 17 0.133 .261 (-49%) .325 (-51%) .357 (-47%) .683 (-49%) -737.5
1945 NYY AL 18 50 5 11 2 1 0 6 0 3 12 0.220 .260 (-16%) .328 (-20%) .354 (-15%) .683 (-17%) -152.1
1945 CHC NL 15 41 5 7 1 0 0 0 0 4 11 0.171 — — — — -152.1
1946 CHC NL 33 72 9 13 4 1 0 8 0 1 18 0.181 .256 (-30%) .328 (-42%) .358 (-26%) .687 (-34%) -427.8
1947 CHC NL 41 56 5 7 3 0 0 6 0 2 14 0.125 .262 (-52%) .336 (-50%) .376 (-53%) .712 (-51%) -501.1
1948 CHC NL 39 36 4 8 3 0 0 0 0 2 8 0.222 — — — — 0.0
1949 PHI NL 28 61 2 13 3 0 0 6 0 7 19 0.213 .262 (-19%) .343 (-14%) .384 (-32%) .727 (-24%) -241.1
1950 PHI NL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1950 PIT NL 11 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1950 DET AL 13 7 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1951 DET AL 26 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 9 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 5 0.222

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1945 WS CHN 4 6 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 0.167
1943 WS NYA 1 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.500
1942 WS NYA 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
3 2 6 5 0 29.0 33 16 12 13 4.97

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1945 WS CHN 2 2 4 3 0 18.0 21 8 6 8 4.00
1943 WS NYA 1 0 1 1 0 8.0 6 2 3 4 2.25
1942 WS NYA 0 0 1 1 0 3.0 6 6 3 1 18.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 314 0 85 350 11 22

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1942 NYA P 25 0 12 38 1 3
1943 NYA P 29 0 12 46 1 4
1944 NYA P 35 0 13 47 1 5
1945 NYA P 18 0 5 31 0 3
1945 CHN P 15 0 5 20 0 0
1946 CHN P 32 0 9 42 3 1
1947 CHN P 40 0 7 36 2 2
1948 CHN P 39 0 6 34 1 3
1949 PHI P 28 0 6 32 0 0
1950 PHI P 3 0 1 0 0 0
1950 PIT P 11 0 5 4 0 0
1950 DET P 13 0 2 6 1 0
1951 DET P 26 0 2 14 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 314

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1945 Baseball Magazine All-Star P4
1945 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1945 TSN All-Star P
1945 TSN Pitcher of the Year

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Fordham University New York NY 1938, 1939

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1945 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 84.0 336 1
1944 Most Valuable Player AL 31th 2.0 336 0
1942 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 8.0 336 0