Pete Dowling


Henry Peter Dowling was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1901. He played for the Louisville Colonels, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cleveland Blues.

Early life

Dowling was the eldest child of Michael J. and Ellen Dowling of St. Louis, Missouri.

Career

Dowling, a left-handed pitcher, made his major-league baseball debut with the Louisville Colonels on July 17, 1897. In his first season, he had 30 starts, of which he won 13 and lost 20, with a 4.16 ERA. After the ousting of Louisville from the National League in 1900, Dowling had planned to play with the Pittsburgh club, but began to develop a serious drinking problem that put his career in limbo.
He relocated to Kentucky, where his family lived, before playing with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1900. He would later play in Sacramento, California as well, but his alcoholism further jeopardized his career, and he was terminated. Afterward, Dowling played with the Butte Miners, and later with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1904.

Death

On June 30, 1905, Dowling was on his way to La Grande, Oregon, where he had joined a semipro team. Dowling missed his train at Fox Lake station in Union County, and decided to walk along the tracks en route to the game. While walking on the track in Hot Lake, Dowling was struck by an oncoming train which decapitated him. He was interred at Odd Fellows Cemetery in La Grande.