Joe Oeschger

Joseph Carl Oeschger

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
• School Saint Mary's College of California, Stanford University
• High School Ferndale (CA) High School
• Debut April 21, 1914
• Final Game September 6, 1925
• Born May 24, 1892 in Chicago, IL USA
• Died July 28, 1986 in Rohnert Park, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Joe Oeschger and his opponent, Leon Cadore, each pitched a complete game in the longest major league game ever (in terms of innings), the 26-inning 1-1 tie between the Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Robins on May 1, 1920. Obviously, the two share the record for most innings pitched in one game.

Oeschger had pitched 20 innings for the Philadelphia Phillies against Brooklyn on April 30, 1919, a 9-9 tie. Thus he is the only pitcher with two games of 20+ innings in his career.

After his major league career, Oeschger starred in the Sacramento Valley League, a high quality semi-pro league. In 1927, for Chico, he had a 6-0 record, and hit .304, in 1928 he was 11-9 with an average of .418,in 1929 he was 10-7 and hit .389, in 1930 he was 10-4 and hit .296, and in 1931, his last year in the Sacramento Valley League he was 6-6- with a 3.05 ERA and .352 batting average. For his Sacramento Valley career, he was 43-26 with a .365 batting average.

Oeschger was a member of the first Phillies team to play in the World Series, in 1915, although he did not get to play in the Fall Classic. He was the last member of the team still alive when the Phillies reached the 1983 World Series, and in honor of that team, was asked to throw the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 against the Baltimore Orioles at Veterans Stadium. He was 91 at the time.

After baseball, he returned to school, earning a graduate degree in education from Stanford University, and then working as a teacher and later as principal at Portola Junior High School in San Francisco, CA.

Notable Achievements

• NL Saves Leader (1918)
• NL Shutouts Leader (1921)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 3 (1917, 1920 & 1921)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1921)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 3 (1917, 1920 & 1921)

Related Sites

• Joe Oeschger at the SABR Bio Project