Jack Lohrke

Jack Wayne Lohrke (February 25, 1924 – April 29, 2009) was an American infielder who played seven seasons in Major League Baseball, appearing in 354 games for the New York Giants (1947–1951) and Philadelphia Phillies (1952–1953). He batted and threw right-handed, stood 6 feet tall, and weighed 180 pounds. Used primarily at third base, Lohrke hit .242 over 914 at bats with 22 home runs. He served in the United States Army during World War II, taking part in the Normandy landings and the Battle of the Bulge. He acquired the nickname 'Lucky' after surviving several near-fatal incidents, including a wartime troop train crash and a 1946 minor league team bus accident in which he had been removed from the vehicle shortly before it went off a mountain road, killing nine of those aboard. After leaving baseball, Lohrke worked for the Lockheed Corporation in California, retiring as the firm's head of security. His major league career spanned the immediate postwar era of the National League.