Marvin James Owen (March 22, 1906 – June 22, 1991) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player,

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

, coach and scout. A native of northern California, Owen played both baseball and football at Santa Clara University. He made his

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), ...

debut in 1931, but spent the 1932 season in the International League where he was named the league's Most Valuable Player. He returned to the Tigers in 1933, became part of Detroit's "Battalion of Death" infield, and remained the team's starting

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

from 1933 to 1937. He had his best season in 1934 when he compiled a .317

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 98 RBIs. He was involved in a fight with

Joe Medwick Joseph Michael Medwick (November 24, 1911 – March 21, 1975), nicknamed "Ducky" and "Muscles", was an American Major League Baseball player. A left fielder with the St. Louis Cardinals during the " Gashouse Gang" era of the 1930s, he also pla ...

during the final game of the

1934 World Series The 1934 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1934 season. The 31st edition of the World Series, it matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers. The Cardinals' "Gashouse Gang" won in seven gam ...

that led to a near riot and Medwick's ejection from the game. In December 1937, Owen was traded to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

where he played in 1938 and 1939 and compiled a career-high 305

assist Assist or ASSIST may refer to: Sports Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team: *Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a ba ...

s in 1938. In December 1939, he was sold to 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 eigh ...

where he concluded his major league career during the 1940 season. During his nine-year career in Major League Baseball, Owen compiled a .275 batting average and .339 on-base percentage, appeared in 1,011 games, and totaled 1,388

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, whil ...

, 1,040

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

s, 499 RBIs, 474 runs scored, 338 bases on balls, and 242

extra base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire ano ...

s. Owen later served as a minor league manager for 11 years for the

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams ...

(1944–1946), San Jose Red Sox (1947–1951), Davenport Tigers (1952),

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

(1953), and Valdosta Tigers (1954). He was also a scout for the Detroit Tigers until retiring in the 1970s.

Early years

Owen was born in Agnew, California (now part of Santa Clara), and attended Bellarmine College Preparatory. He then attended Santa Clara University where he played for the Broncos baseball and football teams. In his senior year at Santa Clara, he was declared ineligible to play baseball as he had signed an optional contract to play professional baseball for the

Seattle Indians Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of N ...

. Instead, he served as the coach of the Santa Clara baseball team during his senior year.

Playing career

Seattle Indians (1930)

Owen began his professional baseball career in 1930 with the

of the Pacific Coast League. He appeared in 138 games and compiled a .300

with 24 doubles and seven triples.

Detroit Tigers (1931)

Prior to the 1931 season, Owen was purchased by the Detroit Tigers from the Seattle Indians. Tigers manager

Bucky Harris Stanley Raymond "Bucky" Harris (November 8, 1896 – November 8, 1977) was an American professional baseball second baseman, manager and executive. While Harris played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators and Detroit Tiger ...

rated Owen as "the greatest prospect the American League has seen in many years." During the 1931 season, Owen appeared in 105 games, 37 as the team's starting shortstop, 34 as the third baseman, and 21 as the second baseman.

Newark Bears (1932)

After batting only .223 with the Tigers in 1931, Owen returned to the minors. He split the 1932 season in the International League with the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

and the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American minor league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. T ...

. In October 1932, he hit a home run to clinch the

Little World Series The Junior World Series was a postseason championship series between champions of two of the three highest minor league baseball leagues modeled on the World Series of Major League Baseball. It was called the Little World Series (no relation to ...

championship for Newark. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the International League for the 1932 season.

Detroit Tigers

1933 season

In 1933, Owen returned to the Tigers and became the team's starting third baseman. He was part of an infield that became known as the "Battalion of Death" consisting of

Hank Greenberg Henry Benjamin Greenberg (born Hyman Greenberg; January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank", "Hankus Pankus", or "The Hebrew Hammer", was an American professional baseball player and team executive. He played in Major Leagu ...

at first,

Charlie Gehringer Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed "the Mechanical Man", was an American professional baseball second baseman, coach, general manager, and team vice president, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for ...

at second, Billy Rogell at shortstop, and Owen at third. The Battalion of Death remained intact from 1933 to 1935 (until injury sidelined Greenberg in 1936) and was considered one of the best infield combinations in baseball history. Owen appeared in 138 games in 1933, 134 of them as the Tigers' starting third baseman, compiled a .262 batting average, and collected 64 RBIs.

1934 season

In 1934, the Tigers' Battalion of Death infield collected 769 hits (214 by Gehringer, 201 by Greenberg, 179 by Owen and 175 by Rogell), 462 RBIs (139 by Greenberg, 127 by Gehringer, 100 by Rogell, and 96 by Owen), and 179 doubles (63 by Greenberg, 50 by Gehringer, 34 by Owen and 32 by Rogell). Three members of the 1934 Tigers infield (Gehringer, Owen and Rogell) played in all 154 games, and the fourth (Greenberg) played in 153. Three members of the 1934 infield finished in the top ten in voting for the American League Most Valuable Player award – Gehringer second, Greenberg sixth and Owen ninth. Owen also stood out on defense in 1934, turning a career high 33 double plays at third base. He also led the American League's third baseman with 202 putouts. Since 1934, only two major league third basemen ( Willie Jones and Eddie Yost) have had more putouts than Owen's 1934 tally. Owen's hands were so large that he was reportedly able to hold and secure seven baseballs in each hand. He was featured in '' Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' with the claim that he "can hold 7 baseballs in one hand." The 1934 Tigers won the American League pennant with a 101–53 record but lost the

to the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

. In Game 7 of the World Series at

Navin Field Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of Michigan and Trumbu ...

of the Cardinals tripled in the sixth inning and knocked Owen down with a hard slide at third. Owen stepped on Medwick, and Medwick, as he lay on the ground, "suddenly began lashing out at Owen's legs with his spiked feet." The two players fought, and, when Medwick returned to left field in the bottom of the inning, the Detroit spectators began pelting him with fruit, bottles, and other debris. Sports writer

Paul Gallico Paul William Gallico (July 26, 1897 – July 15, 1976) was an American novelist and short story and sports writer.Ivins, Molly,, ''The New York Times'', July 17, 1976. Retrieved Oct. 25, 2020. Many of his works were adapted for motion pictu ...

described the fans as "a deadly and vicious mob" and added:

"The next moment the air was full of flying fruit, apples, oranges, bananas and beer and pop bottles . . . I watched the crowd and Medwick and the pelting missiles through my field glasses, and it was a terrifying sight. Every face in the crowd, women and men was distorted with rage."

Eventually, and to prevent a full riot, Commissioner

Kenesaw Mountain Landis Kenesaw Mountain Landis (; November 20, 1866 – November 25, 1944) was an American jurist who served as a United States federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death. He is remembered for his ...

ordered Medwick removed from the game. Interviewed in 1989, Owen recalled, "Medwick slid extra hard into me at third base. When he did that, I kicked him in the groin and he didn't like that."

1935 season

Prior to the 1935 season, Owen had surgery on his nose and reported sick to spring training. He sustained a strained muscle in spring training and was benched for two weeks in June to allow the injury to heal. Owen appeared in 131 games as the Tigers' starting third baseman in 1935. Despite the injuries, he continued to contribute defensively, ranking third among the American League's third basemen with 19 double plays and a .958 fielding percentage. He helped the Tigers win their second consecutive American League pennant, but his batting average dropped by 54 points to .263. He also compiled poor batting statistics in the post-season with an .069 average in the 1934 World Series and .050 in the

1935 World Series The 1935 World Series was the championship series in Major League Baseball for the 1935 season. The 32nd edition of the World Series, it matched the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs. The Tigers won in six games for their first championship i ...

, in which the Tigers defeated the Chicago Cubs in six games. He set a record with 31 consecutive World Series plate appearances without a

1936–1937

In 1936, Owen had one of his best seasons. He compiled a .295 batting average and a .361 on-base percentage with a career high 105 RBIs. He also led the American League's third basemen with 190 putouts and 28 double plays. In 1937, he missed a portion of the season with a fractured hand, appearing in only 107 games, 102 as the team's starting third baseman. In those appearances, Owen compiled a .288 batting average and a .358 on-base percentage and led the American League third basemen with a .970 fielding percentage.

Chicago White Sox (1938–1939)

In December 1937, Owen was traded by the Tigers with

Gee Walker Gerald Holmes "Gee" Walker (March 19, 1908 – March 20, 1981) was a Major League Baseball outfielder. During his fifteen-year career he played with the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Re ...

to the

in exchange for Vern Kennedy, Dixie Walker and

Tony Piet Anthony Francis Piet, born Anthony Francis Pietruszka (December 7, 1906 – December 1, 1981) was an infielder in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1938. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, and Detroit Tigers ...

. During the 1938 season, Owen appeared in 141 games for the White Sox, 139 as the starting third baseman, and compiled a .287 batting average with 35 extra base hits and 55 RBIs. He also collected a career high 305 assists in 1938. In 1939, he appeared in only 58 games, the fewest in his major league career up to that point.

Boston Red Sox (1940)

In December 1939, the White Sox sold Owen to the

for an undisclosed amount of money. Owen concluded his major league career appearing in 20 games for the

during the 1940 season. During his nine-year career in Major League Baseball, Owen compiled a .275 batting average and .339 on-base percentage, appeared in 1,011 games, and totaled 1,388 total bases, 1,040 hits, 499 RBIs, 474 runs scored, 338 bases on balls, and 242 extra base hits.

Portland Beavers (1941–1946)

In March 1941, Owen signed with the

of the Pacific Coast League. He appeared in 144 games for Portland during the 1941 season. He continued to play for the Beavers through the 1946 season.

Managerial career

In 1944, Owen took over as the player-manager of the Portland Beavers. In three years as the manager, he compiled records of 87–82 in 1944, 112–68 in 1945, and 74–109 in 1946. In December 1946, Owen signed to manage the San Jose Red Sox in the California State League. He also played for San Jose until an injury led him to announce his retirement as a player in June 1947 at age 41. He continued to manage the San Jose club through the 1951 season. In November 1951, Owen requested and received his release from the San Jose club. In January 1952, he was hired as the manager of the Davenport Tigers in the

Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was a Minor League Baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 seasons, with teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The league began pla ...

. After one year as manager at Davenport, Owen was hired in January 1953 as the manager of the

. After one year as manager at Durham, Owen served as the manager of the Valdosta Tigers during the 1954 season. Owen later served as a scout, and eventually scouting supervisor, for the Detroit Tigers until he retired in the mid-1970s.

Family and death

In December 1938, Owen married Violet Walsh, a Detroit public school teacher. Teammate Charlie Gehringer was his best man. They had a son, Skip, in approximately 1944. Owen died in 1991 at age 85 at a nursing home in

Mountain View, California Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, it has a population of 82,376. Mountain View was integral to the early history and growth of Silicon Valley, and is the ...

, having suffered from Alzheimer's disease. He was buried at the

Mission Santa Clara de Asís Mission Santa Clara de Asís ( es, Misión Santa Clara de Asís) is a Spanish mission in the city of Santa Clara, California. The mission, which was the eighth in California, was founded on January 12, 1777, by the Franciscan order. Named for ...

cemetery. A baseball on which Owen gathered the signatures of 11 of the first 12 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame was sold at auction in August 2018 for $623,369. He had preserved the ball inside a fur-lined glove kept in a safe deposit box until his death in 1991.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Marv 1906 births 1991 deaths Baseball players from San Jose, California Boston Red Sox players Burials at Mission Santa Clara de Asís Chicago White Sox players Detroit Tigers players Detroit Tigers scouts Durham Bulls managers International League MVP award winners Major League Baseball third basemen Milwaukee Braves scouts Newark Bears (IL) players Portland Beavers managers Portland Beavers players Santa Clara Broncos baseball coaches Seattle Indians players Sportspeople from Santa Clara, California Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Santa Clara Broncos baseball players Bellarmine College Preparatory alumni