Joe Yeager

Joseph Francis Yeager (August 28, 1875 – June 29, 1937), also nicknamed "Little Joe", was an American professional baseball infielder and pitcher. He played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms/Superbas, Detroit Tigers, New York Highlanders, and St. Louis Browns.

Joe Yeager
Third baseman / Shortstop / Pitcher
Born: (1875-08-28)August 28, 1875
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died: June 29, 1937(1937-06-29) (aged 61)
Detroit, Michigan
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 22, 1898, for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms
Last MLB appearance
September 29, 1908, for the St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics
Batting average.252
Home runs4
Runs batted in201
Win–loss record33-49
Earned run average3.74
Strikeouts145
Teams

Early years

Yeager was born in Philadelphia in 1875.

Professional baseball

Yeager began playing professional baseball in the minor leagues, including three years with the Lancaster Maroons from 1895 to 1897. In 1896, he compiled a 17-1 record as a pitcher and had a .346 batting average. The following year, he compiled a 26-11 win-loss record and maintained a .345 batting average.[1]

In 1897, Yeager made his major league debut with the Superbas. He had 32 complete games and a respectable earned run average but lost 22 games for a team that finished in 10th place.[2]

Yeager played for the Detroit Tigers as a right-handed starting pitcher during their first major league season in 1901. He pitched 199.2 innings in 1901, with 22 complete games, two shutouts, and a 12–11 record. His 2.61 earned run average was third-best in the American League behind Cy Young, and his adjusted ERA+ of 147 was second-best in the league behind Young. Yeager also played 12 games at shortstop for the 1901 Tigers and had a batting average of .296 with a .343 on-base percentage and .416 slugging percentage.

After a 6–12 season as a pitcher in 1902, Yeager made the switch from pitcher to third baseman. He was the Tigers' starting third baseman in 1903 and went on to play third base for the New York Highlanders and St. Louis Browns.

Yeager has been credited with originating the squeeze play.[3][4]

Family and later years

Yeager was married in approximately 1900 to Addie Ruby. He was employed by the City of Detroit for the last 18 years of his life. They lived in Detroit. Yeager became ill in June 1937 and died three weeks later at his home located at 8729 W. Vernor Highway in Detroit. He was 61 years old.[5][4]

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References
  1. "Joe Yeager Minor League Statistics". Baseball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  2. "Joe Yeager Statistics and History". "baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  3. The Ballplayers – Joe Yeager | BaseballLibrary.com Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine at www.baseballlibrary.com
  4. "Yeager Known to Baseball as Father of Squeeze Play". Detroit Free Press. July 4, 1937. p. Sport 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Joe Yeager death notice". Detroit Free Press. June 30, 1937. p. 25.
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