{{short description|American baseball player (1917–1983)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography |name=Mike Schemer |position=First baseman |image=Lefty Schemer.jpg |bats=Left |throws=Left |birth_date={{Birth date|1917|11|20}} |birth_place=Baltimore, Maryland, US |death_date={{death date and age|1983|4|22|1917|11|20}} |death_place=Miami, Florida, US |debutleague = MLB |debutdate=August 8 |debutyear=1945 |debutteam=New York Giants |finalleague = MLB |finaldate=April 24 |finalyear=1946 |finalteam=New York Giants |statleague = MLB |stat1label=Batting average |stat1value=.330 |stat2label=Home runs |stat2value=1 |stat3label=Runs batted in |stat3value=10 |teams= *New York Giants (1945–1946) | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Men's baseball}} {{MedalCountry | {{USA}} }} {{MedalCompetition|Baseball World Cup}} {{MedalSilver| 1938 Great Britain | National team}} }} '''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 {{baseball year|1945}}–{{baseball year|1946}} New York Giants. A first baseman, he stood {{height|ft=6|in=0}} and weighed {{convert|180|lb}}.
==Early life== A native of Baltimore, Maryland, he was Jewish and the son of an Orthodox rabbi.<ref name=JSR>{{cite journal |title=Big League Jews|journal=Jewish Sports Review |date=January–February 2020 |volume=12 |issue=137 |page=20}}</ref><ref name="google1">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ZzxydPInwgC&q=%22Mike+Schemer%22+%22high+school%22+baseball&pg=PA167 |title=The Big Book of Jewish Baseball |author= Peter S. Horvitz, Joachim Horvitz |year=2001 |publisher=SP Books |isbn=9781561719730 |access-date=2020-02-05}}</ref> He attended Miami High School and the University of Miami.<ref name="google1"/>
Schemer served in the United States Army during the World War II era.<ref>[http://baseballinwartime.com/those_who_served/those_who_served_atoz.htm Baseball in Wartime.com]</ref>
==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 for the New York Giants on August 8, 1945, against the St. Louis Cardinals at the Polo Grounds. He notched two singles in four at bats against Cardinals' left-hander George Dockins.<ref>[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1945/B08080NY11945.htm 1945-8-8 box score] from Retrosheet</ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1945/B08200NY11945.htm 1945-8-20 box score] from Retrosheet</ref>
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.
==Personal life== 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== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{baseballstats|br=s/schemmi01|brm=scheme001mic}} *[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Pschem101.htm Retrosheet]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schemer, Mike}} Category:1917 births Category:1983 deaths Category:Baseball players from Baltimore Category:Fort Smith Giants players Category:Jacksonville Tars players Category:Jersey City Giants players Category:Jewish American baseball players Category:Major League Baseball first basemen Category:Miami Beach Flamingos players Category:New York Giants (baseball) players Category:Richmond Colts players Category:Sacramento Solons players Category:Salisbury Giants players Category:United States Army soldiers Category:University of Miami alumni Category:West Palm Beach Indians players Category:Miami Senior High School alumni Category:United States Army personnel of World War II Category:20th-century American Jews Category:20th-century American sportsmen