---

Larry Bowa began his 16-year big league career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1970. A third-place finish in Rookie of the Year balloting served as a prelude to a fine career.

During his dozen seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, Bowa established himself as one of the most durable and reliable shortstops of his era. Fleet of foot, he averaged 24 stolen bases and 145 games per season for the Phillies.

The team’s starting shortstop throughout his tenure there, Bowa earned two Gold Glove Awards, made five All Star Games, and earned MVP consideration in three seasons. From 1976 until 1981 Bowa and the Phillies made the postseason five times.

His finest campaign came in 1978 for the 90-win Eastern Division champions. In addition to earning a Gold Glove, Bowa set career highs in hits, doubles, homers, total bases and WAR. The performance earned him a third-place finish in the MVP race behind Dave Parker and Steve Garvey.

In 1980 Philadelphia won the NL East for the fourth time in five years. In the postseason Bowa hit .316 in the NLCS victory over Bill Virdon’s Houston Astros. In the Fall Classic Bowa hit .375 to help bring the Phillies their first World Series championship in franchise history.

The 1981 season was Bowa’s last in Philadelphia. When he was traded to the Cubs in January of ’82, only Richie Ashburn played more games in a Phillies uniform. Bowa also stood fourth on the franchise hit list behind Ashburn, Ed Delahanty, and Del Ennis.

The deal sending Bowa to Chicago was ill-fated for the Phillies. Included in the trade was 22-year old prospect and future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. Bowa and Sandberg were traded for Ivan DeJesus.

The 36-year old Bowa had two seasons left as an everyday player. In 1983 he had a 3.0-WAR season. He remained the Cubs starting shortstop when they won the division in ’84.

Bowa’s final big league season came in 1985. He played 72 games before Chicago released him in mid-August. A week later the Mets picked him up. He hit .105 in 14 games in New York then retired two months shy of his 40th birthday.

When he hung up his spikes, Larry Bowa held the MLB record for highest fielding percentage by a shortstop with at least 500 games played. He also owned National League career mark for most games at his position.

The switch-hitter batted .280 or better four times highlighted by a .305 campaign in 1975. A speedster, Bowa also swiped at least 20 bases in nine different seasons. The 1980 World Series champ finished with 2,191 career hits.

Shown here a 1970 Topps baseball card signed by Bowa. The “Phillies Rookie Stars” edition marked the first time Bowa appeared in a Topps set.

---

On January 27, 1982, the Philadelphia Phillies made one of their worst trades in franchise history. The three-man deal sent Larry Bowa and future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg to Chicago for Ivan DeJesus.

The National League MVP in 1984, Sandberg went on to set the career home run mark for second basemen. A ten-time All Star, nine-time Gold Glover, and seven-time Silver Slugger, Sandberg was inducted into Cooperstown in 2005.

In contrast, DeJesus appeared in just 545 games after the trade, suiting up for five teams in seven seasons before retiring in 1988. For his part, Bowa played four more seasons after the deal.

In the collection is a signed Topps contract dated March 20, 1989. The deal calls for Ryno to appear on Topps cards through the 1992 season.

---

After leaving the game as a player in 1985, Larry Bowa remained in baseball. In 1986 the Padres hired him to helm their Triple-A team in Las Vegas. The fiery Bowa led the club to the PCL championship.

The day after the Mets beat the Red Sox in the World Series the Padres announced Bowa’s hiring as their skipper. In ’87 he led the team to a 65-97 mark. One of the few bright spots for San Diego was the performance of Tony Gwynn. That year Mr. Padre hit .370 en route to the second of his eight batting championships. Gwynn also posted a career-high and NL-best 8.6 WAR.

Bowa returned in ’88 but was fired on May 28th when the team had a 16-30 record.

On August 11, 1988 the Phillies hired him as third-base coach, a position he stayed in until 1996. The following season Bowa moved on to coach with the Angels. Then in 2000 he became the Mariners third base coach.

Meanwhile back in Philadelphia, the Phillies fumbled through their seventh-consecutive sub-.500 campaign. At the conclusion of the season they let fourth-year skipper Terry Francona go and hired Bowa as their skipper.

With essentially the same roster as the 97-loss team the year before, Bowa pushed the Phils into contention. In first place as late as September 23rd, the Phillies couldn’t hold off the six-time defending division champion Braves. The team’s turnaround earned Bowa the 2001 Manager of the Year Award.

The Phillies finished third place in 2002 and in 2003. In 2004 Bowa had them in second place late in the season. On October 1st with his team 10 games out of first with two games left in the season, Bowa was fired. It was the last managerial job he ever held. Bowa finished with a career 418-435 record. He continued coaching for Yankees, Dodgers, and finally back the Phillies until 2017.

The California native remains beloved in his adopted home town. In 1983 he was named to the Phillies centennial team, 18 years later he was inducted onto the Phillies’ Wall of Fame. When the team moved to Citizens Bank Ballpark in 2004, Bowa was selected to the all-Veterans Stadium team.

Shown here is an advance scouting report on Tony Gwynn from 1988 when Bowa was the manager of the Padres. The report says Tony , “missed most of Spring Training with an operation on his left thumb”. Complimentary about the Hall of Famer, the report says of the .338 lifetime hitter, “Nothing much he does not hit”.