Roger Clinton Bowman (August 18, 1927 – July 21, 1997) was an American

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. He played for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

Baseball career

Bowman was signed by the New York Giants before the 1946 season. He appeared in games for the Giants in 1949, 1951, and 1952, and he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1953 and 1955. He had a career win–loss record of 2–11 in the major leagues. Most of Bowman's professional baseball career was spent in the minor leagues, where he played from 1946 to 1961, winning 131 games and losing 119 overall. In 1950, while playing for the Jersey City Giants of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

, Bowman went 16–11 with a 3.71 earned run average. In addition, he led the league with 233

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

and 181

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s. Bowman hurled the first of two

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

s while pitching with the Oakland Oaks in 1952 against the Hollywood Stars. Bowman joined the Hollywood Stars in 1954, as he posted a 22–13 record with a 2.51 ERA and 165 strikeouts in of work, leading the PCL in wins and

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games pitched, games that a pitcher has starting pitcher, started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opp ...

(37). He then pitched a seven-inning perfect game against the Portland Beavers on the final day of the season to give his team a tie for the pennant race with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

, who then won a one-game playoff.Roger Bowman Biography
written by Tom Hawthorn. ''SABR Biography Project''. Retrieved on November 22, 2018. In between, Bowman played winter ball with the Alacranes del Almendares in the Cuban League and for the Licoreros de Pampero in the Venezuelan League,1955-56 Pampero BBC roster
''Pelota Binaria''.Retrieved on November 24, 2018. where he was awarded ''Jugador Estrella'' (Star Player) in the 1955–56 season.Gutiérrez, Daniel; González, Javier (2006); ''Records de la Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional''. LVBP. Besides, he pitched for Almendares in the 1955 Caribbean Series. Bowman spent his final Minor League seasons pitching for the Minneapolis Millers, Buffalo Bisons, Sacramento Solons,

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as th ...

and Portland Beavers, before joining the Hawaii Islanders as an assistant manager to Tommy Heath, who had been his manager with the Trenton Giants in 1947. During his playing days, Bowman completed an arts degree at

Colgate University Colgate University is a Private university, private college in Hamilton, New York, United States. The Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York ...

and later completed an education degree at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

. After baseball, Bowman operated an upholstery business in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

for 45 years. He died in Los Angeles in 1997 at the age of 69.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Roger 1927 births 1997 deaths Almendares (baseball) players American expatriate baseball players in Cuba Baseball players from Montgomery County, New York Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Colgate University alumni Hawaii Islanders players Hollywood Stars players Jersey City Giants players Licoreros de Pampero players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball pitchers Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players New York Giants (baseball) players Oakland Oaks (baseball) players Ottawa Giants players People from Amsterdam, New York Pittsburgh Pirates players Portland Beavers players Sacramento Solons players Sioux City Soos players Trenton Giants players University of California, Los Angeles alumni 20th-century American sportsmen