Joseph Paul Ostrowski (November 15, 1916 – January 3, 2003) was a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played all or part of five seasons in the majors, from 1948 to 1952, for the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. After graduating from the University of Scranton in 1938, Ostrowski did not immediately enter professional baseball but opted instead to teach, which led to his nicknames of "Professor" and "Specs" as a player. He was finally picked up at the age of 25 by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

as an amateur free agent in 1941. The , left-hander began his professional career that season with the Centreville Red Sox of the Class D

Eastern Shore League The Eastern Shore Baseball League was a class D minor league baseball league that operated on the Delmarva Peninsula for parts of three different decades. The league's first season was in 1922 and the last was in 1949, although the years were no ...

. After missing the 1943–45 seasons while serving in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he played in the 1946–47 seasons for the

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also 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 ...

, the Red Sox's top farm team. In November 1947, he was part of an eight-player trade that sent him to the Browns. After starting the season in the minors with the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

, Ostrowski made his major-league debut with the Browns on July 18, 1948. On June 15, 1950, as part of a seven-player deal, he was traded to the Yankees, where he pitched through 1952. After pitching for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

of the

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 ...

in 1953, he retired from professional baseball and returned to teaching. Ostrowski was inducted into the

Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (PSHF) is a nonprofit organization established in 1962.Home page
Pennsylvania Sports Hall o ...

in 1988.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ostrowski, Joe 1916 births 2003 deaths United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Baseball players from Pennsylvania Canton Terriers players Centreville Red Sox players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Yankees players People from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania St. Louis Browns players Scranton Royals baseball players Toledo Mud Hens players