Mike Schemer

Michael Schemer (November 20, 1917 – April 22, 1983), nicknamed "Lefty", was an American professional baseball player whose eight-year (1940–1942; 1944–1948) career included 32 games played in Major League Baseball for the 1945–1946 New York Giants. A first baseman, he stood 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg).

Mike Schemer
First baseman
Born: (1917-11-20)November 20, 1917
Baltimore, Maryland
Died: April 22, 1983(1983-04-22) (aged 65)
Miami, Florida
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
August 8, 1945, for the New York Giants
Last MLB appearance
April 24, 1946, for the New York Giants
MLB statistics
Batting average.330
Home runs1
Runs batted in10
Teams
  • New York Giants (1945–1946)

Early and personal life

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, he was Jewish and the son of an Orthodox rabbi.[1][2] He attended Miami High School and the University of Miami.[2]

Schemer served in the United States Army during the World War II era.[3]

Baseball career

Prior to his professional career, Mike played as an amateur on the United States team assembled by international baseball proponent Leslie Mann in the inaugural Amateur World Series held in England in 1938.

All but one of his Major League appearances occurred during the 1945 season. Called up from the Jersey City Giants of the International League, Schemer made his MLB debut on August 8, 1945, against the St. Louis Cardinals at the Polo Grounds and notched two singles in four at bats against Cardinals' left-hander George Dockins.[4] He hit well for the Giants in his rookie season. In 31 games he had a batting average of .333 (36-for-108) with one home run, 10 runs batted in, 10 runs scored, and a slugging percentage of .407. Defensively, he made two errors in 27 appearances at first base and had a fielding percentage of .993. He hit his only MLB home run on August 20, a three-run blast against Hank Wyse, the 20-game-winner from the Chicago Cubs.[5]

However, with the return of Giants' slugger Johnny Mize from military service in 1946, Schemer would get into only one more game for New York. On April 24, 1946 he went 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter, bringing his lifetime average down to .330.

Schemer married Illinois native Gloria Lowe and divorced in the mid 60’s. They had three children: Nancy, Michael, and Sophie Schemer.

Schemer died at the age of 65 in Miami, Florida.

References
  1. "Big League Jews". Jewish Sports Review. 12 (137): 20. January–February 2020.
  2. Peter S. Horvitz, Joachim Horvitz (2001). The Big Book of Jewish Baseball. ISBN 9781561719730. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  3. Baseball in Wartime.com
  4. 1945-8-8 box score from Retrosheet
  5. 1945-8-20 box score from Retrosheet
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