Joe Jerger

Joseph J. Jerger

• Bats unknown, Throws Right

• Born February 12, 1877 in Germany
• Died February 6, 1961 in Martins Ferry, OH USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Joe Jerger was a pitcher in the minor leagues from 1902 to 1910, having some pretty good years during that span but never reaching the major leagues. Born in Germany, he is first listed as pitching in the Eastern League (the future International League) in 1902 with both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Royals, although statistics are unavailable for what were likely very brief stays. The bulk of that season was in the New England League with the Fall River Indians, where he went 5-12 in 17 games. He would continually return to Fall River over the following years.

In 1903 he was with Fall River for 28 games, but statistics are unavailable. It is not known where he played in 1904 and 1905, but in 1906 he started the season with the Wheeling Stogies of the Central League, going 2-1 in 4 games before returning to Fall River, where he was 15-19 in 42 games. In 1907, he pitched for the two same teams, going 0-1 at Wheeling and 11-14 at Fall River. In 1908, he spent a full season with Wheeling, going 10-18, 3.69 in 32 games. He had his two best seasons after that: in 1909, with the East Liverpool Potters of the Ohio-Pennsylvania League, going 20-12 in 34 games. In his final season, in 1910, he was with the Quincy Vets of the Central Association, going 19-10, 2.92.

He seemed to have settled down in the Wheeling, WV area as he died in Martins Ferry, OH, which is across the Ohio River from Wheeling, in 1961.

He is remembered - if at all - for one accident which happened on August 9, 1906 when, pitching for Fall River against the Lynn Shoemakers, he hit LF Tom Burke with a pitch in the temple, fracturing his skull. Burke immediately fell down unconscious and was transported to a local hospital where he died two days later, never having regained consciousness. There was a pubic inquiry into the accident, and while he was charged with manslaughter, a court cleared him of all charges on August 20th as a number of witnesses testified it was an accident. Apparently, authorities were conscious there was no ill intent and went through with the process in order to formally clear his name. In any case, all contemporary reports of the event list him wrongly as "Joseph Yeager" (which is a close approximation of the pronunciation of his last name), likely due to confusion with contemporary major leaguer Joe Yeager. As a result, the stigma of the accident was not attached to his name as it was with other pitchers who would be in the same unfortunate position before or after him.

Related Sites

• Article from Baseball History Daily