After spending eight of his first nine ML seasons as a utility man with the Indians (1970-77) and the Rangers (1978), Lowenstein was picked up on waivers by Baltimore. The lefty was platooned against righthanded pitchers and became a favorite of manager Earl Weaver for his intelligence and attitude. Lowenstein reached his peak in 1982 when, platooning in left field, he hit .320 with 24 HR, 66 RBI, 69 runs, and 54 walks (all career highs) in just 322 at-bats (122 games). His .602 slugging average and 7.5 HR percentage would have led the majors if he had had enough at-bats to qualify. And he led all outfielders in fielding, going the entire season (111 games) without an error.
Even when not posting such spectacular numbers, Lowenstein was consistently valuable for the Orioles. In 1979, he missed much of the stretch run with a badly sprained ankle, but in Game One of the LCS he pinch hit. In the bottom of the tenth inning with the score tied 3-3 with two out and two on, he hit an opposite field homer off the Angels’ John Montague. Lowenstein followed this in the World Series with a pinch two-run double in the eighth inning of Game Four as the Orioles rallied for six runs after being down 6-3. In 1983 he hit a WS homer in Game Two to tie the game in an eventual 4-1 victory as Baltimore won the first of four straight to become World Champions.
