In Game 7 of the World Series at Navin Field, Joe Medwick of the Cardinals tripled in the sixth inning and knocked Owen down with a hard slide at third. Owen stepped on Medwick, and Medwick, as he lay on the ground, "suddenly began lashing out at Owen's legs with his spiked feet." The two players fought, and, when Medwick returned to left field in the bottom of the inning, the Detroit spectators began pelting him with fruit, bottles, and other debris. Sports writer Paul Gallico described the fans as "a deadly and vicious mob" and added: "The next moment the air was full of flying fruit, apples, oranges, bananas and beer and pop bottles . . . I watched the crowd and Medwick and the pelting missiles through my field glasses, and it was a terrifying sight. Every face in the crowd, women and men was distorted with rage." Eventually, and to prevent a full riot, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis ordered Medwick removed from the game. Interviewed in 1989, Owen recalled, "Medwick slid extra hard into me at third base. When he did that, I kicked him in the groin and he didn't like that." Prior to the 1935 season, Owen had surgery on his nose and reported sick to spring training. He sustained a strained muscle in spring training and was benched for two weeks in June to allow the injury to heal. Owen appeared in 131 games as the Tigers' starting third baseman in 1935. Despite the injuries, he continued to contribute defensively, ranking third among the American League's third basemen with 19 double plays and a .958 fielding percentage. He helped the Tigers win their second consecutive American League pennant, but his batting average dropped by 54 points to .263. He also compiled poor batting statistics in the post-season with an .069 average in the 1934 World Series and .050 in the 1935 World Series, in which the Tigers defeated the Chicago Cubs in six games. He set a record with 31 consecutive World Series plate appearances without a hit. In 1936, Owen had one of his best seasons. He compiled a .295 batting average and a .361 on-base percentage with a career high 105 RBIs. He also led the American League's third basemen with 190 putouts and 28 double plays. In 1937, he missed a portion of the season with a fractured hand, appearing in only 107 games, 102 as the team's starting third baseman. In those appearances, Owen compiled a .288 batting average and a .358 on-base percentage and led the American League third basemen with a .970 fielding percentage.