Joseph Conrad "Mule" Sprinz (August 3, 1902 – January 11, 1994) was an American professional baseball player[1] who attempted to beat the world record for catching a baseball dropped from a great height.
| Joe Sprinz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: August 3, 1902 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| Died: January 11, 1994 (aged 91) Fremont, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 16, 1930, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 18, 1933, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .170 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 2 |
| Teams | |
Baseball career edit
Joseph Sprinz was a major league catcher who played for the Cleveland Indians from 1930 to 1931 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1933.[2] He also played for the minor league team San Francisco Seals.[3]
Attempt at world record edit
As a member of the San Francisco Seals, Sprinz attempted to beat the world record for catching a baseball dropped from a great height. On May 10, 1939, Sprinz was one of three players who caught balls dropped 437 feet (133 m) by Seals manager Lefty O'Doul from a tower at the Golden Gate International Exposition. O'Doul forbade the practice after the initial stunt but, that summer, Sprinz returned to the Exposition to make another attempt. Sprinz attempted to catch balls dropped from a blimp hovering approximately 800 feet (240 m) overhead.[4] On his fifth attempt, a baseball entered his glove, slamming his glove hand into his face with such force that he broke his upper jaw in twelve places, fractured several of his teeth, and rendered him unconscious.[5][6]
Some[who?] believe that the San Francisco Seals were involved in arranging for Joe Sprinz to make an attempt at the world record despite the known danger. Even though no evidence has been shown in response to the claim, it is well known that Minor League Baseball needs promotional stunts for survival[2][3] and that it was a member of Sprinz's own team the San Francisco Seals that arranged for the ball to be dropped from a Goodyear blimp.[3][7]
References edit
- ^ "Joe Sprinz Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ a b "Joe Sprinz and the Speeding Baseball". Wonders & Marvels. 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ a b c Warren, Lee (2014-03-11). "Joe Sprinz's tries to catch a baseball from blimp". Minor League Ball. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ Allen, Scott (5 June 2023). "Baseball's oddest arms race featured balls thrown from the Washington Monument". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ "8 teeth sacrificed for the record". DrBicuspid.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ Fundamentals of Physics ( 4 ed., Wiley, 1993 ), by David Halliday, Robert Resnick and Jearl Walker, on page 30, Chapter Two, "Motion along a Straight Line"
- ^ "IT'S A BIRD! IT'S A PLANE!... IT's BASEBALL?". www.danieldemers.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
.jpg){kind=small}   | This biographical article relating to an American baseball catcher born in the 1900s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |