| Joe Yeager | |
|---|---|
 Yeager in 1898 | |
| Third baseman /Pitcher | |
| Born:(1875-08-28)August 28, 1875 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| Died: June 29, 1937(1937-06-29) (aged 61) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
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 runs | 4 |
| Runs batted in | 201 |
| Win–loss record | 33–49 |
| Earned run average | 3.74 |
| Strikeouts | 145 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Joseph Francis Yeager (August 28, 1875 – June 29, 1937), nicknamed "Little Joe", was an American professionalbaseballinfielder andpitcher. He played 10 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theBrooklyn Bridegrooms/Superbas,Detroit Tigers,New York Highlanders, andSt. Louis Browns.
Yeager was born inPhiladelphia in 1875.
Yeager began playing professional baseball in the minor leagues, including two years with theLancaster Maroons from 1896 to 1897. In 1897, he compiled a 26–11win–loss record as a pitcher and had a .345batting average.[1]
In 1898, Yeager made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. He had 32complete games and a respectableearned run average but lost 22 games for a team that finished in 10th place.[2]
Yeager played for the Detroit Tigers as a starting pitcher during their first major league season in 1901. He pitched 199.2 innings in 1901 with a 12–11 record, 22 complete games, and two shutouts. His 2.61 earned run average was third-best in theAmerican League, and hisadjusted ERA+ of 146 was second-best in the league behindCy Young. Yeager also played 12 games atshortstop for the 1901 Tigers and had a .296 batting average, a .343on-base percentage, and a .416slugging 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. His major league career ended in 1908, and afterwards, he continued to play in the minor leagues until 1915.
Yeager has been credited with originating thesqueeze play.[3][4]
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 inDetroit. 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.[4][5]
· Baseball Almanac