Joe Sprinz

Joseph Conrad "Mule" Sprinz (August 3, 1902 – January 11, 1994) was a Major League Baseball player[1] who attempted to beat the World Record for catching a baseball dropped from a great height.

Joe Sprinz
Catcher
Born: (1902-08-03)August 3, 1902
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died: January 11, 1994(1994-01-11) (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 runs0
Runs batted in2
Teams

Baseball career

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

As a member of the San Francisco Seals, Sprinz attempted to beat the World Record for catching a baseball dropped from a great height, set by members of the 1938 Cleveland Indians. In 1939, Sprinz had a blimp hover overhead at 800 feet (240 m), from which balls were to be dropped for him to catch. 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 five of his teeth, and was rendered unconscious.[4][5]

Controversy

Some 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 the Goodyear Blimp.[3][6]

References
  1. "Joe Sprinz Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  2. "Joe Sprinz and the Speeding Baseball". Wonders & Marvels. 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  3. Warren, Lee (2014-03-11). "Joe Sprinz's tries to catch a baseball from blimp". Minor League Ball. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  4. "8 teeth sacrificed for the record". DrBicuspid.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  5. 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"
  6. "IT'S A BIRD! IT'S A PLANE!... IT's BASEBALL?". www.danieldemers.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.


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