Joe Christopher

Joseph O'Neal Christopher

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 176 lb.
• High School St. Patrick's High School (Frederiksted)
• Debut May 26, 1959
• Final Game May 27, 1966
• Born December 13, 1935 in Frederiksted, V.I.
• Died October 3, 2023 in Edgewood, MD USA

BR page

Biographical Information

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Joe Christopher as an amateur free agent before the 1955 season. The speedy outfielder played with three different teams in that first season, appearing in a total of 140 games and hitting for a combined .301 average for the Phoenix Stars, Williamsport Grays and the Lincoln Chiefs. Joe made his big league debut for Pittsburgh on May 26, 1959 in the Harvey Haddix near perfect game. He appeared in only 15 games, spending most of the season at AAA Columbus.

Joe began the 1960 season with the Pirates and was briefly sent to AAA before being recalled in June and spending the remainder of the season in the bigs. The speedy Christopher was used primarily as a pinch-runner that year, appearing in the field only 17 times and batting only 56 times. He did have a 5-hit game on September 27, 5-for-7 with a walk and a run scored, in a 16 inning marathon with the Cincinnati Reds at Forbes Field. He appeared in three games in the Fall Classic, scoring two runs and being hit by a pitch in the Pirates' victory over the New York Yankees. Christopher assumed the role of fourth outfielder on the Pirates in 1961, batting .263 in 186 at bats. He was then selected by the New York Mets in the expansion draft.

An original Met, Joe was largely a bit player. He became the team's first player to hit .300 in a season and qualify for a batting title when he hit an even .300 with 16 home runs and 76 RBI in 1964. That season, he was one of Jim Bunning's 27 victims during his Father's Day perfect game at Shea Stadium. Joe finished his eight-year major league run in a dozen games for the Boston Red Sox in 1966, having batted .260 in 638 games. He finished his 14-year pro baseball career in 1968, retiring after hitting .258 in 102 games for the Reading Phillies. He made a brief comeback in Mexico in 1972.

Christopher lived in New York for a time before moving to Baltimore, where he was a freelance artist and painter. His brother, Alfred, signed a pro contract but never played in the minors. Technically, Christopher was the first native-born major league player from the United States Virgin Islands. However, Valmy Thomas really merits the honor. Valmy was born in Puerto Rico because his mother sought better medical attention, but mother and newborn immediately returned home to St. Croix, where Valmy grew up and resided until his death.

Notable Achievement

• Won a World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960

Sources

Baseball-Reference.com
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page

Further Reading

• Rory Costello: "Joe Christopher", in Clifton Blue Parker and Bill Nowlin, ed.: Sweet '60: The 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2013, pp. 28-31. ISBN 978-1-93359-948-9

Related Sites

• Joe Christopher at the SABR Bio Project
• Biography from "Virgin Islands Baseball"
• Article about Christopher's artistic work