Ernie Bowman
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1961-1963)
Ernie Bowman was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1963 for the San Francisco Giants, a span of 3 seasons. In 165 career games, he hit .190 with 39 hits, 1 home runs, and 10 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 160 lb
- Died
- 8/4/2019 in Johnson City, TN, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1961-04-12
- Last Game
- 1963-09-29
Full name: Ernest Ferrell Bowman
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 165 | 205 | 29 | 39 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 33 | .190 | .200 | .244 | .444 | -835 |
Career AVG .190 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 25.1% below league average.
Career OBP .200 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 37.7% below league average.
Career SLG .244 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 37.1% below league average.
Career OPS .444 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — 37.4% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | SFN | NL | 38 | 38 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | .211 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1962 | SFN | NL | 46 | 42 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | .190 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | SFN | NL | 81 | 125 | 10 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 15 | .184 | .246 (-25%) | .308 (-41%) | .371 (-44%) | .680 (-43%) | -834.9 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 165 | 205 | 29 | 39 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 33 | .190 | — | — | — | — | -835 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (163 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 84 | 92 | 10 | 17 | 0 | 3 | .185 |
| Away | 79 | 112 | 18 | 22 | 1 | 7 | .196 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-09-29 | SFG | PIT | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-28 | SFG | PIT | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-25 | SFG | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-24 | SFG | PHI | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-22 | SFG | NYN | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-20 | SFG | NYN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-17 | SFG | ATL | W | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-13 | SFG | PIT | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-11 | SFG | NYN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-10 | SFG | NYN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 56 | 12 | 47 | 55 | 4 | 7 |
| 3B | 30 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| SS | 62 | 29 | 58 | 93 | 8 | 15 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | SFN | 2B | 13 | 4 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 2 |
| 1961 | SFN | 3B | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961 | SFN | SS | 12 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 2 | 1 |
| 1962 | SFN | 2B | 17 | 6 | 15 | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 1962 | SFN | 3B | 11 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | SFN | SS | 10 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963 | SFN | 2B | 26 | 2 | 21 | 25 | 1 | 4 |
| 1963 | SFN | 3B | 12 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963 | SFN | SS | 40 | 26 | 49 | 69 | 6 | 13 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 56 |
| Third Base | 30 |
| Shortstop | 62 |
Ernie Bowman: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 12, 1961 and the final game on September 29, 1963, Ernie Bowman built the record summarized on this page. The team column never changes: it is the San Francisco Giants from 1961 to 1963. Bowman played primarily as a shortstop and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on July 28, 1935, in Johnson City, TN, USA and a listed size of 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds. Bowman's death is recorded on August 4, 2019, in Johnson City, TN, USA. On the record, Ernie Bowman was born Ernest Ferrell Bowman.
In 165 games and 205 at bats, Bowman batted .190 with 39 hits, plus 1 home run and 10 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .200 and the slugging percentage .244, for an OPS of .444. Over the seasons Bowman played, league hitters batted .254; the .190 career figure is 25.1% below that. By OPS the gap is 37.4% below league average (.444 against .709). The hits column peaks at 23, in 1963. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .184 in 1963, did not top the league's .246.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ernie Bowman
- What years did Ernie Bowman play?
- Ernie Bowman played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1963.
- Was Ernie Bowman a pitcher?
- No. Ernie Bowman was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Ernie Bowman hit?
- Ernie Bowman hit 1 career home run with 39 hits.
- What teams did Ernie Bowman play for?
- Ernie Bowman played for one team, the San Francisco Giants (1961–1963).
- What were Ernie Bowman's career stats?
- In 165 games, Ernie Bowman had 39 hits, 1 home runs, 10 RBI, 29 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .190 batting average.
- What position did Ernie Bowman play?
- Ernie Bowman played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ernie Bowman and how much did he weigh?
- Ernie Bowman was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 160 pounds.
- How many home runs did Ernie Bowman hit each season?
- Ernie Bowman's home runs by season: 0 in 1961, 1 in 1962, and 0 in 1963. His most in one season was 1, in 1962.
- What was Ernie Bowman's career batting average?
- Ernie Bowman batted .190 over his career, with 39 hits in 205 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ernie Bowman have?
- Ernie Bowman drove in 10 runs in his career.
- Is Ernie Bowman in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ernie Bowman has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.