Joe Bowman

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1932-1945)

Joe Bowman was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1945 for 6 teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 14 seasons. Across 298 career appearances, he went 77-96 with a 4.40 ERA and 502 strikeouts. He also batted .221 with 2 home runs.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 77–96
ERA 4.40
WHIP 1.46
SO 502
Pitcher PIV -6438.3
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 190 lb
Born
6/17/1910 in Kansas City, KS, USA
Died
11/22/1990 in Kansas City, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1932-04-18
Last Game
1945-09-29

Full name: Joseph Emil Bowman

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Career Pitching Statistics

Joe Bowman — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
77 96 298 184 74 5 11 1465.2 1,656 717 102 484 502 4.40 -6438.3

Career ERA 4.40 vs. league average 4.15 across their career seasons — 6.0% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Bowman Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1932 PHA AL 0 1 7 0 0 0 0 11.0 14 10 6 4 8.18 4.13 (-98%) -850.1
1934 NY1 NL 5 4 30 10 3 0 3 107.1 119 43 36 36 3.61 4.29 (+16%) -1101.5
1935 PHI NL 7 10 33 17 6 1 1 148.1 157 70 56 58 4.25 4.35 (+2%) -1535.2
1936 PHI NL 9 20 40 28 12 0 1 203.2 243 114 53 80 5.04 4.59 (-10%) 1261.5
1937 PIT NL 8 8 30 19 7 0 1 128.0 161 65 35 38 4.57 4.34 (-5%) -740.1
1938 PIT NL 3 4 17 1 0 0 1 60.0 68 31 20 25 4.65 4.35 (-7%) 994.7
1939 PIT NL 10 14 37 27 10 1 1 184.2 217 92 43 58 4.48 4.28 (-5%) -113.0
1940 PIT NL 9 10 32 24 10 0 2 187.2 209 93 66 57 4.46 4.21 (-6%) -198.6
1941 PIT NL 3 2 18 7 1 1 1 69.1 77 23 28 22 2.99 3.94 (+24%) -88.8
1944 BOS AL 12 8 26 24 10 1 0 168.1 175 90 64 53 4.81 3.57 (-35%) -3077.6
1945 BOS AL 0 2 3 3 0 0 0 11.2 18 12 9 0 9.26 3.67 (-152%) -723.0
1945 CIN NL 11 13 25 24 15 1 0 185.2 198 74 68 71 3.59 3.67 (+2%) -266.7
Career · 12 seasons 77 96 298 184 74 5 11 1,465.2 1,656 717 484 502 4.40 — -6,438

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Joe Bowman — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
430 639 62 141 24 8 2 75 3 46 90 .221 .275 .293 .568 -1,952

Career AVG .221 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — 18.9% below league average.

Career OBP .275 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 18.6% below league average.

Career SLG .293 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 24.2% below league average.

Career OPS .568 vs. league average .724 across their career seasons — 21.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Bowman Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1932 PHA AL 7 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1934 NY1 NL 31 29 4 5 0 1 0 4 0 2 3 .172 — — — — 0.0
1935 PHI NL 49 67 6 13 1 1 1 7 1 4 7 .194 .279 (-31%) .342 (-30%) .399 (-29%) .742 (-30%) -334.4
1936 PHI NL 44 77 9 15 1 0 0 6 0 6 14 .195 .283 (-31%) .349 (-28%) .404 (-49%) .753 (-39%) -488.7
1937 PIT NL 35 47 3 10 1 0 0 4 0 5 9 .213 — — — — -215.2
1938 PIT NL 18 21 5 7 0 1 0 1 0 1 3 .333 — — — — 0.0
1939 PIT NL 70 96 9 33 8 1 0 18 0 5 9 .344 .274 (+25%) .342 (+12%) .393 (+14%) .735 (+13%) 214.2
1940 PIT NL 57 90 11 22 5 1 1 14 0 14 14 .244 .267 (-9%) .335 (+5%) .387 (-8%) .722 (-2%) -0.3
1941 PIT NL 22 31 4 8 1 0 0 1 0 1 2 .258 — — — — 0.0
1944 BOS AL 59 100 7 20 5 2 0 16 1 5 19 .200 .261 (-24%) .325 (-27%) .357 (-19%) .683 (-23%) -379.1
1945 BOS AL 9 9 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 .222 — — — — 0.0
1945 CIN NL 29 71 4 5 2 1 0 3 1 2 9 .070 .260 (-73%) .328 (-71%) .354 (-64%) .683 (-67%) 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 430 639 62 141 24 8 2 75 3 46 90 .221 — — — — -1,203

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 (728 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Joe Bowman — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2043273179252.242
Away2263123062024.199

Pitching — Home / Away

Joe Bowman — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home148778.08233452512713.99
Away150686.28353702322304.85

Last 10 Games — Batting

Joe Bowman — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1945-09-29 CINSTLL 200000000
1945-09-23 CINSTLL 100000000
1945-09-16 CINBSNL 311000000
1945-09-11 CINBROW 400000000
1945-09-07 CINPHIW 412100201
1945-09-02 CINPITL 300000000
1945-08-31 CINPITL 000000000
1945-08-26 CINPITL 300000000
1945-08-21 CINPHIL 200000001
1945-08-18 CINBSNL 100000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Joe Bowman — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1945-09-29 CINSTL L 7.01155130
1945-09-23 CINSTL L 4.0544311
1945-09-16 CINBSN L 8.2944440
1945-09-11 CINBRO W 10.01043340
1945-09-07 CINPHI W 8.2720000
1945-09-02 CINPIT L 9.01044520
1945-08-31 CINPIT L 0.0533000
1945-08-26 CINPIT L 8.0621220
1945-08-21 CINPHI L 8.01266471
1945-08-16 CINBSN W 9.0933042

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Joe Bowman — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
P 298 0 85 254 15 17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joe Bowman — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1932 PHA P 7 0 1 6 1 0
1934 NY1 P 30 0 6 20 0 0
1935 PHI OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1935 PHI P 33 0 8 28 2 2
1936 PHI P 40 0 7 32 5 4
1937 PIT P 30 0 14 24 0 3
1938 PIT P 17 0 2 8 1 2
1939 PIT P 37 0 6 39 0 3
1940 PIT P 32 0 15 36 1 0
1941 PIT P 18 0 5 13 0 0
1944 BOS P 26 0 9 20 2 3
1945 BOS P 3 0 0 2 0 0
1945 CIN P 25 0 12 26 3 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Joe Bowman Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 298
Right Field 1

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Joe Bowman (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jumbo Elliott
    63-74, 4.24 ERA
  2. 95
    Flint Rhem
    105-97, 4.20 ERA
  3. 92
    Joe Genewich
    73-92, 4.29 ERA
  4. 91
    Joe Strong
    77-72, 4.13 ERA
  5. 89
    Ted Blankenship
    77-79, 4.29 ERA
  6. 87
    Neal Heaton
    80-96, 4.37 ERA

Joe Bowman: the record in brief

According to the bio, Joe Bowman debuted on April 18, 1932 and played a final game on September 29, 1945. The season rows list, in order, the Philadelphia Athletics (1932), the New York Giants (1934), the Philadelphia Phillies (1935 through 1936), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1937 to 1941), the Boston Red Sox (1944 to 1945), and the Cincinnati Reds (1945). At 6'2" and 190 pounds, Bowman is listed as a pitcher. The bio says Bowman threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Bowman was born on June 17, 1910, in Kansas City, KS, USA. Bowman died on November 22, 1990, in Kansas City, MO, USA. On the record, Joe Bowman was born Joseph Emil Bowman.

Bowman went 77-96 with a 4.40 ERA in 298 games, 184 of them starts. The same table counts 502 strikeouts, 74 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 11 saves. The league ERA over Bowman's seasons was 4.15, so the 4.40 figure ran 6.0% worse than average. No season topped the 12 wins of 1944.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Bowman

What years did Joe Bowman play?
Joe Bowman played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1945.
Was Joe Bowman a pitcher?
Yes. Joe Bowman pitched in the major leagues, recording 77 wins and 502 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Joe Bowman hit?
Joe Bowman hit 2 career home runs with 141 hits.
What teams did Joe Bowman play for?
Joe Bowman played for 6 teams: the Philadelphia Athletics (1932), the New York Giants (1934), the Philadelphia Phillies (1935–1936), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1937–1941), the Boston Red Sox (1944–1945), and the Cincinnati Reds (1945).
What were Joe Bowman's career stats?
In 298 games, Joe Bowman went 77-96 with a 4.40 ERA, 502 strikeouts, 1,465.2 innings pitched, and 11 saves. At the plate he had 141 hits and 2 home runs.
What position did Joe Bowman play?
Joe Bowman played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Joe Bowman and how much did he weigh?
Joe Bowman was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 190 pounds.
What was Joe Bowman's career ERA?
Joe Bowman finished with a 4.40 career ERA, going 77-96 with 502 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Joe Bowman have?
Joe Bowman recorded 502 career strikeouts.
Is Joe Bowman in the Hall of Fame?
No. Joe Bowman has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.