Jack Lohrke – Baseball Player Biography, Career, Net Worth Information

Jack Wayne Lohrke played seven seasons in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1953. His stats might seem modest, but honestly, his life story is one of the wildest in baseball history.

He was a third baseman and utility infielder for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Phillies. Lohrke finished with a .242 batting average and 22 home runs over 354 games. But here’s the thing—what really set him apart wasn’t his play on the field. It was his almost unbelievable knack for surviving life-threatening situations, both before and during his baseball career.

People called Lohrke “Lucky” because he dodged death so many times. He survived four deadly incidents in World War II where soldiers next to him died, missed a doomed plane flight, and, most famously, avoided a 1946 bus crash that killed nine of his Spokane Indians teammates. Hours before that terrible accident, the team called him up and he hitchhiked back to Spokane. The rest of the team never made it out of the Cascade Mountains. This crazy series of events shaped his reputation, even though he never really liked the “Lucky” nickname.

As a teenager, Lohrke signed with the San Diego Padres and eventually played his last season with Philadelphia in 1953. His career overlapped with some legendary baseball moments. He hit a record-breaking home run for the Giants, watched Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” from the bullpen, and shifted from a hotshot rookie to a dependable veteran who knew his place in the bigger story of the game.

Jack Lohrke’s Early Life and Path to MLB

Jack Wayne Lohrke grew up in Los Angeles, standing out as a high school star before his shot at Major League Baseball got interrupted by war. His baseball skills popped up early, but military service in World War II put everything on hold.

Birth, Family Background, and Education

Jack Wayne Lohrke was born on February 25, 1924, in Los Angeles, California. He was the middle of three sons, with John and Marguerite Lohrke as his parents.

His father John worked at the Fluor Corporation, a global construction company that kept the family afloat during the tough Depression years.

Lohrke went to South Gate High School in the Los Angeles School District. He graduated in 1942 at 18, already showing serious baseball talent.

Key Early Life Facts:

• Born: February 25, 1924, Los Angeles
• Parents: John and Marguerite Lohrke
• Siblings: Two brothers (Jack was the middle child)
• Father’s Job: Fluor Corporation employee
• Education: South Gate High School (graduated 1942)

By his senior year, scouts noticed his skills. He was good enough to draw pro interest before he even left high school.

Minor League Experience and Pacific Coast League

At 18, Lohrke signed his first pro contract with the San Diego Padres in the Pacific Coast League in 1942. He didn’t stick around long, playing just seven games before the team sent him down.

The Padres shipped him off to Twin Falls, Idaho, in the Class C Pioneer League. There, Lohrke played third base and hit .271 in 105 games his rookie season.

He played well enough to win the team’s Most Valuable Player award. While at Twin Falls, he met Marie, who would later become his wife. Her brother played on the team with Jack.

1942 Minor League Statistics:

• San Diego Padres: 7 games
• Twin Falls: 105 games, .271 batting average
• Position: Third base
• Achievement: Team MVP award

They got married in 1948. Lohrke’s promising start was about to get interrupted by the war.

World War II Service and Early Career Challenges

The Army drafted Lohrke at the height of World War II. He joined the 35th Infantry Division and served from 1943 to 1945.

Lohrke fought in the Normandy invasion in summer 1944 and the Battle of the Bulge later that year. Both were some of the war’s most brutal battles.

During his time in the Army, he had several close brushes with death. Four times, a soldier right next to him was killed, but Lohrke survived.

His final wartime scare happened in 1945. He was supposed to fly from Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, to Los Angeles on a military transport.

A higher-ranking officer bumped him off the flight right before takeoff. The plane crashed, and everyone on board died. That story stuck with him and helped cement his “Lucky” nickname.

Lohrke didn’t get back to pro baseball until 1946, at age 22. He lost three prime years to the war, but the dangers he survived in combat would seem small compared to what waited for him in baseball.

Major League Career Overview (1947–1953)

Jack Lohrke played seven years in the majors, mostly with the New York Giants before finishing up with the Philadelphia Phillies. He became known as a reliable third baseman and utility player. Over 355 games, he hit .242 with 22 home runs and 96 RBIs.

Debut with New York Giants

Lohrke made his big league debut on April 18, 1947, at age 23 with the New York Giants. He quickly took over as the team’s main third baseman that year.

His rookie season was memorable for him and the team. Lohrke played 112 games and helped a Giants offense that set a new major league record for home runs in one season.

On August 31, 1947, even though the Giants lost 10-4 to the Brooklyn Dodgers, Lohrke’s homer was their 183rd that year. That broke the old record of 182 set by the 1936 Yankees.

The Giants ended up with 221 home runs in 1947. Lohrke’s rookie stats: 12 doubles, 4 triples, and 11 homers—his best year at the plate.

Transition to Philadelphia Phillies

Lohrke stayed with the Giants through 1951, even appearing in two games during their World Series run. He didn’t get a hit in those two plate appearances, but he still contributed to their National League pennant.

On December 13, 1951, the Giants traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor leaguer Jake Schmitt. That deal changed the course of his career.

He spent his last two seasons, 1952 and 1953, with the Phillies. Lohrke mostly played as a backup those years.

He played his final big league game on June 10, 1953, at age 29. After that, the Pittsburgh Pirates picked him up in a trade, but he never played for them.

Roles as Third Baseman and Positional Versatility

Lohrke spent most of his career at third base, but he could handle second and shortstop too.

His defense made him useful as a utility guy, especially in his later years. He stood 6 feet tall, weighed 180 pounds, and threw and hit right-handed.

He started as the Giants’ regular third baseman in 1947, but soon shifted into a utility role. That flexibility definitely helped him stick around the majors a bit longer.

His career stats show steady, if not flashy, production: 221 hits, 125 runs, 38 doubles, 9 triples, and 9 stolen bases. He managed a .375 on-base percentage, even though his batting average wasn’t high.

Statistical Performance and Playing Style

Jack Lohrke’s seven-year MLB run produced a .242 batting average, 22 home runs, and 96 RBIs in 354 games. His 2.2 career WAR shows he filled the utility infielder role, offering solid defense and a bit of offense.

Batting Average and Offensive Contributions

Lohrke finished with a career average of .242. His best year was 1949, when he hit .267 in 55 games. That season, he posted a .456 slugging percentage and a .789 OPS—pretty solid numbers for him.

He actually got on base more than you might think. Lohrke walked 111 times and struck out 86 times in his career, giving him a .327 on-base percentage. That patience at the plate helped him out even when his average dipped.

In 1950, things didn’t go well. He hit just .186 in 30 games, with a rough .441 OPS. His last two years with Philadelphia weren’t much better—he hit .207 in 1952 and .154 in 1953.

Home Runs, Hits, Runs, and RBI Analysis

Over seven seasons, Lohrke collected 221 hits: 38 doubles, 9 triples, and 22 home runs. He hit all his home runs while with the Giants, between 1947 and 1951.

His RBIs followed the same trend. Lohrke drove in 95 runs with the Giants, but just one with the Phillies. His rookie year, 1947, was his best for RBIs—he knocked in 35.

He scored 125 runs in his career, with 44 coming in his first season. Lohrke’s knack for getting on base helped him score, even though he wasn’t a big power threat. He stole 9 bases but also got caught 9 times.

WAR and Advanced Metrics

Lohrke’s career WAR of 2.2 shows he was more of a role player than a star. His top single-season WAR came in 1949 at 1.5, which matched his best year offensively and when he played the most at multiple infield spots.

His OPS+ was 87, so he hit about 13% below league average over his career. Still, his defensive versatility at third, second, and shortstop gave him value you can’t always see in the stats.

The advanced numbers paint him as a replacement-level player who gave teams depth and flexibility. His WAR dipped below zero in 1950 (-0.4) and 1953 (-0.2), which matched up with less playing time and slumping offense.

Notable Moments and Historical Significance

Jack Lohrke got the nickname “Lucky” after surviving a string of near-death experiences in World War II and during his baseball days. His most unforgettable baseball moment came in 1947, when he hit a record-breaking home run for the New York Giants.

Surviving Near-Death Experiences

Lohrke made it through several situations that could have killed him before his baseball career even got off the ground. He fought in the Army’s 35th Infantry Division in major battles like D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge.

Four times in combat, the soldier next to him died, but Lohrke walked away. After the war, in 1945, he missed a military flight from Camp Kilmer, New Jersey to Los Angeles when an officer took his seat. The plane crashed, and everyone on board died.

The most famous brush with death happened in 1946, when he played for the Spokane Indians. The team sent him a telegram recalling him to San Diego as the team stopped for lunch in Ellensburg, Washington. Lohrke hitchhiked back to Spokane while the rest of the team continued.

The team bus crashed in the Cascade Mountains, tumbling hundreds of feet down a cliff. Nine of the 15 team members died, including both of Lohrke’s roommates. That tragedy is still the deadliest transportation accident in American professional baseball history.

Outstanding Games and Memorable Highlights

Lohrke broke into the major leagues in 1947 and quickly made his mark on baseball history. He singled in his first at-bat against Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Vic Lombardi, but then got thrown out trying to steal second.

Later that year, he smashed the Giants’ 183rd home run of the season, which broke the major league record the 1936 New York Yankees had set.

Lohrke played a supporting part in the Giants’ wild 1951 pennant race. When Bobby Thomson launched his legendary “Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” Lohrke was out in the bullpen, warming up in case the game went to extra innings.

He got into two World Series games that year, going 0-for-2 as a pinch hitter. The Giants ended up losing to the New York Yankees in six games.

Retirement and Life After Baseball

Jack Wayne Lohrke wrapped up his professional baseball career in 1953 after a tough final season with the Philadelphia Phillies. After stepping away from Major League Baseball, he jumped into a successful career in corporate security, working for big aerospace companies before settling down with his family in San Jose, California.

Final MLB Season and Retirement in 1953

Lohrke’s last major league season was a struggle at the plate with the Philadelphia Phillies. He managed just a .190 batting average in the 1952 and 1953 seasons, a big drop from his earlier years with the New York Giants.

The Phillies sent him to their Triple-A affiliate, the Baltimore Orioles of the International League, for much of 1953. Even there, his batting struggles continued, and he hit only .194.

After the 1953 season, Philadelphia traded Lohrke to the Pittsburgh Pirates with pitcher Andy Hansen and $70,000 for Murry Dickson. But at 29, Lohrke never played in another major league game.

He kept playing in the minors for six more seasons, right through 1959. He spent time with Hollywood, Seattle, and Portland in the Pacific Coast League.

He even took on a player-manager role with Tri-Cities in the Class B Northwest League during part of 1959.

Post-Career Activities and Legacy

After hanging up his spikes in 1959, Lohrke started a new chapter in corporate security. He worked for companies like AeroJet General, Lawrence Livermore, and Lockheed Corporation.

He stuck with Lockheed until retiring in 1986.

Lohrke spent the last forty years of his life in San Jose, California. He married Marie in 1948 after meeting her during his minor league days in Twin Falls, Idaho.

They stayed married for over sixty years by the time he passed away.

Family Legacy:

• 6 children
• 10 grandchildren
• 7 great-grandchildren

Jack Lohrke died on April 29, 2009, at 85, in a San Jose hospital. He’d suffered a stroke at home two days earlier.

People knew him as “Lucky Lohrke” because he survived several near-death experiences, but in his later years, he just wanted folks to call him Jack.

Recognition, Legacy, and Baseball References

Jack Lohrke’s legacy goes way beyond his seven years in the majors. He carved out a unique place in baseball history, thanks to his survival story and his role in the 1951 Giants’ pennant race.

Baseball research groups and historians have kept his story alive, documenting both his playing days and his unbelievable life.

Influence on Baseball History

Lohrke’s biggest historical moment came with the 1951 New York Giants. He was right there on the team that took the National League pennant with Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.”

The Giants almost traded Lohrke and Thomson to the Chicago Cubs for Andy Pafko before the June 15 trade deadline. The Cubs passed, sent Pafko to the Brooklyn Dodgers instead, and that decision set up one of baseball’s most unforgettable moments.

Lohrke was warming up in the bullpen in the bottom of the ninth during that famous playoff game. He turned to teammate Davey Williams and said, “Piss on the fire and I’ll call the dogs. I think the hunt’s over” when the Giants were down 4-1.

His survival of the 1946 Spokane Indians bus crash stands out as a defining moment in baseball tragedy. That accident killed nine players and is still the deadliest transportation disaster involving an American pro baseball team.

Awards, Honors, and Commemoration

Lohrke didn’t rack up a lot of formal honors during his playing days. He did grab team MVP honors with Twin Falls in the Pioneer League in 1942, his first pro season.

His biggest on-field achievement came in 1947 when he hit the Giants’ 183rd home run, breaking the major league record for homers in a season. The 1936 Yankees had held that mark.

The nickname “Lucky” stuck with Lohrke after he survived so many near-death incidents. He never really liked the name, but it became the thing he was most known for in baseball circles.

Major publications picked up his story, too. Sports Illustrated featured him in 1994, with writer Ron Fimrite telling Lohrke’s survival tale and baseball journey in “O Lucky Man.”

Baseball-Reference and Further Research

Baseball-Reference.com keeps a thorough record of Lohrke’s major league stats from 1947 to 1953. You’ll find his .240 career batting average, 39 homers, and 286 RBIs over 403 games right there.

His biography pops up in “The Team That Time Won’t Forget: The 1951 New York Giants,” which the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) published in 2015. That book digs deep into his life and career, maybe more than you’d expect.

The Baseball Cube and a few other stats sites track both his major and minor league numbers. You can see how his minor league journey stretched all the way through 1959, and he even took a turn as a player-manager.

Career Statistics Summary:

• Major League Games: 403
• Batting Average: .240
• Home Runs: 39
• RBIs: 286
• Positions: 3B, 2B, SS, C, P

A handful of obituaries and old baseball stories have kept his legacy alive for anyone curious about the game’s history.