| Joe Page | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1917-10-28)October 28, 1917 Cherry Valley, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| Died: April 21, 1980(1980-04-21) (aged 62) Latrobe, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 19, 1944, for the New York Yankees | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 25, 1954, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 57–49 |
| Earned run average | 3.53 |
| Strikeouts | 519 |
| Saves | 76 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Joseph Francis Page (October 28, 1917 – April 21, 1980), nicknamed "Fireman" and "the Gay Reliever",[1] was an American professionalbaseballrelief pitcher. Page, who was left-handed, played inMajor League Baseball with theNew York Yankees from1944 to1950 and with thePittsburgh Pirates in1954.
Page was signed by theNew York Yankees as an amateurfree agent in1940. After spending time in theYankees farm system, Page made hisMajor League Baseball debut on April 19,1944 where he began his career as a starter.
In his rookie season (starting 16 games, and relieving in three others), Page was voted to play in theAll-Star Game and ended his season with over 100 innings pitched and a 4.56ERA.[1] The next season, Page suffered a shoulder injury, which led him to start only nine of the twenty games he pitched. That season, Page improved hisERA to 2.82, along with a 6–3 record.
In1946, Page split his time between closing and starting games, and he picked up three saves while posting a 3.57ERA and a 9–8 record. In1947, Page spent practically the whole season in the bullpen and only started twice. He was voted to play in theAll-Star Game once again, because of his 2.48ERA and a 14–8 record.[1] Retroactively, he is considered to have recorded 17saves that year.[2] However, it was certainly appreciated at the time that Page played a greater than average role as the Yankees relief pitcher, at a time when there was no generally acknowledged "closing pitcher" role in baseball, and when starting pitchers were more often expected to finish complete games.
His fourteen relief wins in 1947 was anAmerican League record untilLuis Arroyo broke it in1961. He was fourth in the league inAmerican League MVP voting. In the seventh game of the 1947 World Series he earned the save by inducingBrooklyn Dodgers hitterEddie Miksis to hit into a series-ending double play.
In1948, Page finished second in theAmerican League insaves. He also struck out 77 in 107.2innings, pitched in the All-Star game for the third time, and led the league with 55 appearances.[1]
The following season, Page had a 13–8 record and a 2.59ERA. He finished first in theAmerican League insaves with 27, again with no fanfare at the time because the save was not a recognized baseball statistic. He gave up 103hits in 135.1innings and struck out 99 batters. He was again named to play in theAll-Star Game, and finished first in the league in three categories:games finished,games pitched, andsaves. Page won the inauguralBabe Ruth Award for his performance in the1949 World Series against theBrooklyn Dodgers, winning game three of the Series.[1] He also finished third in theAmerican League MVP voting.
Page struggled during the1950 season and was not part of the Yankee playoff roster. He was sent to the minors for the1951 season, and was released on May 16. He spent1952 in the minors, and was out of baseball altogether in 1953. On April 12,1954, Page was signed as afree agent by thePittsburgh Pirates, appearing in seven games, posting an 11.17ERA. Page was released by the Pirates on June 1, one week after his final appearance.
Page finished his eight-year career in the majors with a career record of 57–49, a 3.53ERA, 76saves, and 519strikeouts in 790.0innings pitched.Alvin Dark, a player in Page's day and later a big-league manager, credits Page's success as a relief pitcher in bringing greater attention to the role.[3]
Page was a competent hitter for a pitcher, posting a .205batting average (47-for-229) with 20runs, 2home runs and 26RBI.
· Baseball Almanac| Preceded by None | Babe Ruth Award 1949 | Succeeded by |