Rowe joined the Tigers in 1933, and the following year won 24 games (a 24–8 record), including an American League record 16 consecutive wins. In the 1934 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals' Gashouse Gang, Rowe was 1–1 in two starts with a 2.95 ERA. In Game 2, Rowe pitched a 12-inning complete game, allowing two earned runs and retiring 22 consecutive batters. In Game 6, Rowe pitched another complete game, allowing four runs, but Paul "Daffy" Dean held the Tigers to only three. Schoolboy finished fourth in the American League's 1934 Most Valuable Player voting behind teammates Mickey Cochrane, who won, and Charlie Gehringer.