Peanuts Lowrey – Baseball Player Biography, Career, Net Worth Information

Harry Lee “Peanuts” Lowrey finished up his Major League Baseball career in 1955, wrapping up 13 seasons that really showed off his grit and versatility. This California native played for four teams—the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies—and built a reputation as a reliable outfielder and one of the game’s most effective pinch hitters.

Lowrey hit .273 in his career, with 37 home runs and 479 RBIs, but those numbers don’t quite capture how valuable he was in clutch situations, especially late in his career. He delivered under pressure and became a go-to pinch hitter for the Cardinals and Phillies, leading the National League in pinch hits in 1952 and 1953.

Lowrey’s baseball story is pretty wild when you think about it. He started out as a kid in Culver City, California, even popping up in some old Our Gang comedies, and somehow ended up a respected big league veteran. He worked his way up from the Cubs organization, bounced around teams, and just kept at it for over a decade. After he retired, he didn’t just walk away—he kept giving back to baseball in other roles.

Early Life and Background

Harry Lee “Peanuts” Lowrey was born on August 27, 1917, in Culver City, California. He was a Virgo, for those who care about that stuff.

He spent his childhood on his grandfather’s ranch, where he started building the athletic skills that would make him a major league player.

Birthplace and Family

Lowrey grew up in Culver City, a little slice of Southern California that always meant a lot to him. Born Harry Lee Lowrey, he lived with his maternal grandfather on a ranch during much of his early life.

His mom’s maiden name was Maria L. Machada. There’s not much out there about his father, at least in the records people have found.

The ranch ended up connecting him to Hollywood in a pretty unusual way. A bunch of the Our Gang comedies were filmed right there while he was growing up.

He sometimes appeared as an extra in those films. As for his nickname “Peanuts,” there are a couple of stories—either his grandfather called him that because he was so small, or actress Thelma Todd promised to buy him peanuts if he behaved on set.

Education and Early Interests

Lowrey went to Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, and he was kind of a sports machine. He earned ten letters across baseball, football, and track and field.

For his size, he was fast. He could run the 100-yard dash in ten seconds flat.

Football was really where he showed off his speed. In his last high school game, he scored six touchdowns, all on runs of 65 yards or more.

At just 5-foot-8, Lowrey still managed to catch the attention of professional scouts. Being smaller meant he had to work harder to stand out.

Path to Professional Baseball

The Chicago Cubs signed Lowrey as a shortstop in 1937. His first pro stop was with the Moline Plow Boys of the Class B Three-I League, and he hit .304 in 45 games.

He spent 1938 and 1939 in the Class C Western Association, just working on his game. With the St. Joseph Angels in 1939, he hit .344 and knocked 15 home runs, so he moved up to Class A Tulsa.

Next, he landed with the Los Angeles Angels in 1940. In 1941, he started the season on the bench, but when third baseman Eddie Mayo got hurt, Lowrey stepped in.

He hit .330 that year, which impressed manager Jigger Statz. To keep Lowrey’s bat in the lineup, Statz moved him from the infield to the outfield.

In August 1941, the Helms Foundation named him Southeastern California athlete of the month, which really put him on the map in pro baseball.

Major League Baseball Career Overview

Peanuts Lowrey made his mark as a utility player during his 13-year MLB run from 1942 to 1955. He played for four National League teams and gained a reputation for pinch-hitting and defensive flexibility at just about every position.

Debut and Early Years

Lowrey debuted in the majors on April 14, 1942, with the Chicago Cubs when he was 24. He came in as a late-inning outfield sub during a Cubs road game against the Cardinals.

His first season had its ups and downs. He didn’t get a hit right away, but finally got his first MLB knock off Ernie White in a loss to the Cardinals.

The Cubs sent him back to the minors after 27 games, since he was hitting just .190. He went back to the Los Angeles Angels to get more experience before he really stuck in the big leagues.

By 1943, Lowrey was a regular for the Cubs. He played 130 games and batted .292. That year, he hit 12 triples (third in the NL) and stole 13 bases (second on the team).

Teams Played For

Lowrey’s MLB career took him through four National League teams over 13 seasons. The Cubs were his main squad from 1942-43 and 1945-49, where he turned into a dependable utility player.

Team Timeline:

• Chicago Cubs (1942-43, 1945-49): 7 seasons
• Cincinnati Reds (1949-50): 1.5 seasons
• St. Louis Cardinals (1950-54): 4.5 seasons
• Philadelphia Phillies (1955): Final season

He really hit his stride with the Cardinals after they picked him up in September 1950. In 1951, he batted a career-best .303.

The Cubs traded him to the Reds in June 1949 as part of a four-player deal. Harry Walker went to the Reds, while Frank Baumholtz and Hank Sauer joined the Cubs.

Career Milestones

Lowrey notched some pretty solid achievements, like making the 1946 National League All-Star team. He played in the 1945 World Series for the Cubs against the Tigers, hitting .310 in the seven-game series.

He shined as a pinch-hitter with the Cardinals. In 1952, he led the NL with 13 pinch-hits and set a new major league record with seven straight pinch-hits, breaking Ty Cobb’s old mark.

Career Statistics:

• Batting Average: .273
• Games Played: 978
• Career Hits: 1,177
• Strikeouts: 226 (in 4,317 at-bats)

Lowrey played every position except pitcher and catcher. He hardly ever struck out—just 226 times in over 4,000 at-bats—which made him a tough out.

Statistical Highlights and Impact

Peanuts Lowrey played 13 seasons and racked up a .273 average with 1,177 hits in 1,401 games. He did most of his damage with the Cubs, piling up 564 runs and 479 RBIs while showing off his contact hitting skills.

Batting Average and Offensive Stats

Lowrey kept a .273 average over his big league career. His best season at the plate came in 1943 with the Cubs, when he hit .292 and had a .740 OPS.

He was super consistent. He notched 1,177 hits and struck out only 226 times in 4,832 plate appearances. That’s a fantastic contact rate.

His on-base percentage was .336, which shows he had a good eye. He walked 403 times in his career, being patient and selective at the plate.

While playing for the Cubs from 1942-1949, he averaged .278. He was always tough in big moments.

Runs, Triples, and Plate Appearances

Lowrey scored 564 runs in his 13 big league seasons, with 4,832 plate appearances to his name. His speed and aggressive baserunning added a lot to his value.

He hit 45 triples, with his top years in 1943 and 1945. That 1943 season saw him leg out 12 triples, showing he could turn doubles into extra bases.

He played over 100 games in nine different seasons, which says a lot about his durability. Managers could count on him to be ready most of the time.

Lowrey stole 48 bases in his career. He didn’t need a home run to score—he’d take the extra base and make things happen.

Home Runs and RBIs

Lowrey never really hit for power, with just 37 home runs and 479 RBIs. His value came from making contact instead of swinging for the fences.

His best RBI year was 1945, when he drove in 89 runs for the Cubs. That helped Chicago battle for the NL pennant during the war years.

He hit seven home runs in 1945, which was his highest single-season total. His swing was built for line drives, not towering shots.

With 479 career RBIs, Lowrey showed he could deliver in the clutch. He was great at moving runners along with timely hits.

1955 Season and Retirement

Peanuts Lowrey played his final season in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1955. He appeared in 54 games before calling it a career. That wrapped up a 14-year run that started with the Cubs back in 1942.

Performance in the 1955 Season

Lowrey joined the Phillies for his last MLB season. The veteran outfielder played in 54 games that year.

By then, everyone knew him as one of the best pinch hitters in baseball. The Phillies mainly used him in those pressure spots off the bench.

That year really cemented his late-career shift from everyday player to reliable bench guy. Managers trusted him to come through with big hits when it counted.

Key 1955 Statistics:

• Games Played: 54
• Primary Role: Pinch hitter and bench player
• Team: Philadelphia Phillies

Final Major League Games

Lowrey’s last big league games came in 1955 with the Phillies. Before that, he played for the Cubs (1942-43, 1945-49), Reds (1949-50), and Cardinals (1950-54).

He wrapped up his playing days that season in Philadelphia. That marked the end of a long run for someone who’d been a fixture in the NL for years.

When he finished, he had a .273 average, 37 home runs, and 479 RBIs over 1,401 games. Not bad at all for someone who started out as a kid extra in Hollywood.

Retirement from Professional Baseball

After the 1955 season, Lowrey decided to retire from playing. He was 38 and had put in 13 seasons in the majors.

He didn’t walk away from the game, though. Lowrey managed minor league teams in New Orleans, Austin, and Idaho Falls.

In 1960, he got back to the majors as a coach. The Phillies hired him as their third-base coach, so he kept making an impact.

Later, in 1967, Lowrey moved to San Francisco to continue coaching. He just never seemed to lose his passion for baseball, even after his playing days were over.

Post-Playing Career and Personal Life

After he retired from professional baseball in 1955, Harry Lee “Peanuts” Lowrey kicked off a 17-year coaching career. He kept close ties with his family in Southern California.

Lowrey threw himself into managing minor league teams and coaching at the major league level. He even dabbled in Hollywood films, which seems fitting for someone from Culver City.

Life After Baseball

Lowrey made a quick jump from player to coach after hanging up his cleats. He started as a player-manager with the Buffalo Bisons in 1956.

In 1957, he managed the New Orleans Pelicans in the Southern Association. He kept moving, taking on the Austin Senators in 1958 and the Idaho Falls Russets in 1960.

These gigs let him sharpen the skills he needed for the big leagues. On June 1, 1960, the Philadelphia Phillies brought him on as a base coach.

He spent seven years with the Phillies, serving as first-base coach during the wild 1964 season. His coaching journey took him all over the country.

He worked as third-base coach for the San Francisco Giants from 1967 to 1968. In 1969, the Montreal Expos hired him as third-base and hitting coach.

Lowrey circled back to his original team, the Chicago Cubs, in 1970 as third-base coach for two years. He later joined the California Angels for four years.

He wrapped up his career back with the Cubs as bench coach, staying until he retired in 1981.

Family and Personal Interests

Lowrey married Miriam Close, and they stuck together for 48 years until he passed away. They had three kids: Harry Jr., who sadly died at age 4 in 1943, and two daughters, Judy (born 1943) and Melinda (born 1950).

His Hollywood connection started young in Culver City. He worked as an extra in Our Gang comedies filmed on his grandfather’s ranch, which is where he picked up the nickname “Peanuts.”

During his playing days, Lowrey popped up in five movies:

• Pride of the Yankees (1942)
• The Monty Stratton Story (1949)
• The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
• The Winning Team (1952)
• Strategic Air Command (1955)

In The Winning Team, he juggled three roles, doubling for Frank Lovejoy and playing a House of David player. He once said, “I was the player that plunked Reagan with a ball between the eyes,” remembering the time he hit future President Ronald Reagan with a cotton ball on set.

Legacy and Influence

Lowrey devoted 43 years to professional baseball, leaving a real mark on the game. Folks knew him as one of the best pinch hitters of his era, and in 1952, he set a major league record with seven consecutive pinch hits.

People often talked about his knack for stealing opponents’ signs. But, as one Cubs story goes, his hearing issues sometimes made for hilarious moments when manager Herman Franks tried to pass along stolen signs from the broadcast booth.

Lowrey never lost his loyalty to the Chicago Cubs. “Even when I played and coached against them, I always wanted to see them win,” he admitted.

He died on July 2, 1986, at age 68 from congestive heart failure at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, California. The month before, he had undergone open-heart surgery.

Lowrey is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery and Mausoleum in Culver City, California. His baseball career stretched from 1937 to 1981, covering nearly half a century.

Recognition and Historical Significance

Peanuts Lowrey earned some real recognition during his 13-year Major League Baseball career. He made an All-Star team and played in the World Series.

He stood out as a top pinch hitter of his time and played a part in the Cubs’ 1945 pennant run.

World Series Appearances

In 1945, Lowrey played in the World Series with the Chicago Cubs against the Detroit Tigers. The Cubs had just won the National League pennant, and many called it the last season of wartime baseball.

He hit .310 with a .678 OPS in the series, but the Cubs came up short. The Tigers took the World Series in seven games.

That series had a reputation for weak play, thanks to wartime roster issues. For Lowrey, 1945 marked the height of his team success.

He never made it back to the World Series during his stints with the Reds, Cardinals, or Phillies.

All-Star Selections and Awards

Lowrey made the National League All-Star team in 1946. He hit his stride with the Cubs, showing up as a steady outfielder and utility guy.

Later on, his biggest individual feats came as a pinch hitter. He led the National League in pinch hits twice, racking up 13 in 1952 and 22 in 1953 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

That 1952 season, he set a major league record with seven consecutive pinch hits. He broke Ty Cobb’s old mark, though Dave Philley and Rusty Staub eventually passed him.

Place in Baseball History

Lowrey stands out in baseball history as one of the most versatile players of his generation. He covered every position except pitcher and catcher, which really shows just how adaptable he was.

Over 13 seasons, he put up a .273 lifetime batting average in 978 games. That’s a pretty steady performance, if you ask me.

The Cardinals especially valued him as a pinch hitter in 1952, when he hit .500 in that role. Not a lot of guys could pull that off.

After he hung up his cleats, Lowrey kept shaping the game through a 17-year coaching career with several National League teams. All in, his professional baseball journey lasted an impressive 43 years, including his years as a minor league player and manager.