| George Yeager | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born:(1874-06-05)June 5, 1874 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | |
| Died: July 5, 1940(1940-07-05) (aged 66) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 25, 1896, for the Boston Beaneaters | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 5, 1902, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .238 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 73 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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George J. "Doc" Yeager (June 4, 1874 – July 5, 1940) was an American professionalbaseball player. He played all or part of six seasons inMajor League Baseball, primarily as acatcher. He played for theBoston Beaneaters from 1896 to 1899, theCleveland Blues in 1901, thePittsburgh Pirates in 1901, theNew York Giants in 1902, and theBaltimore Orioles in 1902. During his career, he was measured at 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) and weighing 190 lbs.[1]
Yeager was born inCincinnati, to Henry Yeager and the former Anna Leister.[2] In his youth, he played on amateur baseball teams in the Cincinnati area, and after receiving several minor league offers, he signed with New Haven in 1894.[3] For most of the next three seasons, however, he played with thePawtucket Phenoms of theNew England League. In 1896, Yeager had a good season at Pawtucket,batting .345 with 24home runs and 36stolen bases.[4] He made his major league debut with the Boston Beaneaters that September.[1]
Yeager was a backup catcher toMarty Bergen in 1897 and 1898 but also played other positions in the field for Boston. He batted .242 and then .267.[1] Led by several future Hall of Famers, the Beaneaters won theNational League pennant both years. In 1899, Boston released Yeager, and he spent most of that season with theEastern League'sWorcester Farmers. In 1900, he signed withConnie Mack'sMilwaukee Brewers of theAmerican League, which was a minor league at the time. Yeager started off hot at the plate and hit .387 through 19 games, by far the highest batting average of his career. However, he then tore some ligaments in his knee and was sidelined for the rest of 1900.[5]
Yeager began 1901 with the Cleveland Blues, hit poorly, was released, and then finished out the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1902, Yeager played for both the New York Giants and Baltimore Orioles, but he did not stick with those clubs, either. He played his last major league game on August 5, 1902.[1]
From 1903 to 1909, Yeager was a catcher in the minor leagues. With theAmerican Association'sMinneapolis Millers, he batted over .300 for the last time in 1903.[4] He also played for theSt. Paul Saints andToledo Mud Hens. In 1907, he went to Des Moines of theWestern League and batted .286. His batting average fell to .212 the following season, and he retired soon afterwards.[4]
After his baseball career ended, Yeager became a switch tender for the Southern Rail Road Company. He was married to Tillie Stadtlander.[2]
Yeager died in 1940 of acerebral hemorrhage[6] and was buried inSpring Grove Cemetery.[1]