Ed Mierkowicz

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Edward Frank Mierkowicz (born March 6, 1924 in Wyandotte, Michigan), nicknamed "Butch" and "Mouse," is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played four seasons with the Detroit Tigers (1945, 1947-48) and St. Louis Cardinals (1950). Born in Wyandotte, Michigan, Mierkowicz was the son of a factory worker who made gaskets. He lettered in three sports at Roosevelt High School in Wyandotte and caught the eye of legendary Detroit scout, Wish Egan, during a high school baseball game. But upon graduating from high school, Mierkowicz was called up by the Army in 1942. Mierkowicz was discharged after contracting rheumatic fever and was signed by Wish Egan and the Detroit Tigers Mierkowicz played in Hagerstown, Maryland in 1944 and in Buffalo in 1945. At the end of the 1945 season, with the Tigers in a pennant race, Mierkowicz was called up. He played in 10 games in his rookie season, batting .133 for a Tigers team that won the 1945 World Series. Mierkowicz stayed with the team for the World Series and was put in as a defensive replacement for Hank Greenberg in the 9th inning of Game 7. Mierkowicz did not bat in the Series but he received a World Series ring in his rookie season. In 1946, Mierkowicz spent most of the season in the minor leagues with Buffalo, but he did play in 21 games with the Tigers, batting .190. In 1948, he appeared in 3 games. He finished his major career on April 19, 1950 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He struck out in his one and only at bat for the Cardinals. Mierkowicz continued to play professional baseball until 1957, including stints in Cuba, Mexico, and the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League in 1955. After his baseball career ended, Mierkowicz worked for 24 years at a waste treatment plant in Wyandotte, Michigan. He retired in 1984.