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John Arthur Fowler
Cincinnati Redlegs
Pitcher
Born: July 3, 1922, Converse, SC
Signed: Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before 1944 season
Major League Teams: Cincinnati Reds 1954-1957; Los Angeles Dodgers 1959; Los Angeles Angels 1961-1964
Died: January 29, 2007, Spartanburg, SC (age 84)
Primarily a relief pitcher and an occasional closer, Art Fowler played in parts of nine big league seasons, compiling a 54-51 record and a 4.03 ERA over 362 appearances. Fowler toiled in the minors for 10 seasons with the Giants' and Braves' organizations before making the Reds out of spring training in 1954 at the age of 31. He'd serve as a spot starter/long reliever for the Reds for four seasons before getting shipped to the Dodgers with three other players for Don Newcombe (#235) in June 1958. In 1961, Fowler was the first closer for the expansion Los Angeles Angels club, saving 11 games. In his final season in 1964, Fowler was the oldest player in the American League at 41, and he also served as the Angels' pitching coach.
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| 1978 Topps #282 |
Building the Set
June 20, 1992 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #103
This is one of 11 cards (and the 5th I've covered on this blog) that my Dad and I bought in June 1992 at the Ocean City baseball card show held on the boardwalk at the Music Pier. We paid $60 for the lot of 11 cards, which at the time was most likely a steal. Chronologically, I have this listed as the 103rd card we added to the set. The card is pristine, with the exception of a small stain on the back in the top left corner.
I would have just graduated high school when we attended this show, and I'd be heading off to college in the fall. If I had to guess, I'd say we purchased this lot of 11 cards from a baseball card dealer who had a store called Diamond Dust. His cards were always nicely displayed in binders and I remember his table would be positioned in the back right of the lower level of the Music Pier.
After purchasing these cards, Dad and I undoubtedly sat at the counter of Mack & Manco's, enjoying a few slices with birch beer.The Card
I'm still awful with identifying historic ballparks, but I'm assuming Fowler is mimicking his wind-up with Crosley Field's bleachers in the background. Fowler's birth year is off a year on the back of his card, as he was actually born in 1922.
1956 Season
In his third season with the Reds, Fowler appeared in 45 games, making 23 starts. He finished the season with a record of 11-11 and a 4.05 ERA in a rotation consisting of Brooks Lawrence (#305), Johnny Klippstein (#249) and Joe Nuxhall (#218). In spite of having a line-up boasting three players with over 30 home runs - Frank Robinson with 38, Wally Post (#158) with 36 and Ted Kluszewski (#25) with 35, the Reds finished in 3rd place in 1956, 2 games behind the Dodgers.
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First Mainstream Card: 1955 Topps #3
First Topps Card: 1955 Topps #3
Last Topps Card (as a player): 1964 Topps #349
First Topps Card (as a coach): 1973 Topps #323
Last Topps Card (as a coach): 1974 Topps #379
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1974 Topps #379
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1955-1957, 1959, 1962-1964, 1973-1974
32 - Fowler non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/7/19.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year. Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.
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Order Collected: #23 Freddie Marsh - Baltimore Orioles / #57 "Duke" Maas - Detroit Tigers
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