Joseph Stanley Beggs (November 4, 1910 – July 19, 1983), nicknamed "Fireman", was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

, and

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

. With the Reds, he was a member of the

1940 World Series The 1940 World Series matched the 1940 Cincinnati Reds season, Cincinnati Reds against the 1940 Detroit Tigers season, Detroit Tigers, with the Reds winning a closely contested seven-game series. The victory secured the Reds the second champions ...

champions. After his retirement from baseball, Beggs became the superintendent of prisons for Kentucky, and the director of urban renewal for

Newport, Kentucky Newport is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. It is at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers across from Cincinnati. The population was 14,150 ...

Early life

Beggs was born on November 4, 1910, in

Rankin, Pennsylvania Rankin is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, south of Pittsburgh on the Monongahela River. The borough was named after Thomas Rankin, a local landowner. Early in the 20th century, Rankin specializ ...

. His family moved to

Aliquippa, Pennsylvania Aliquippa is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 9,238 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located northwest of Pittsburgh and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan ar ...

, when he was young. He attended

Aliquippa High School Aliquippa Junior/Senior High School is a public high school in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. It is the only high school in the Aliquippa School District. Athletic teams compete as the Aliquippa Quips in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athleti ...

, where he lettered in football, baseball, and track and field. He played as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

for the baseball team into his junior year, until the team needed him to fill in as a

. He threw a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

in his first game as a pitcher and continued to pitch thereafter. He also won the Pennsylvania state championship in the

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...

in 1929. Beggs earned a track scholarship to

Geneva College Geneva College is a private Christian college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848 in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880. It enrolls about 1,400 undergraduates in over 30 majors, as wel ...

. He also played football at Geneva. At Geneva, he competed in the

Penn Relays The Penn Relays (officially The Penn Relay Carnival) is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. In 2012 ...

, finishing in second place in the javelin throw in consecutive years. He set a school record in the javelin throw at . There was no baseball team at Geneva, so Beggs played

sandlot baseball Sandlot ball or sandlot baseball is a competitive and athletic sports game that follows the basic rules and procedures of baseball. It is less organized and structured, as the name alludes to a makeshift field or an empty lot. In the 20th centu ...

under an assumed name in

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

and then under his own name in Aliquippa. He graduated from Geneva in 1934 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Professional career

After he graduated from Geneva, Beggs signed with the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

, who gave him a brief trial with the Scranton Miners of the Class A

New York–Pennsylvania League New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

. After four days with Scranton, Beggs requested and received his release from the Pirates organization. A few weeks later, Gene Martin, a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

for the

, signed Beggs. He went to

Washington Generals The Washington Generals are an American basketball team who play exhibition games against the Harlem Globetrotters. The team has also played under several aliases in their history as the Globetrotters' perennial opponents. Function The Gener ...

of the Class D Pennsylvania State Association under

Benny Bengough Bernard Oliver "Benny" Bengough (July 27, 1898 – December 22, 1968) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball career as a catcher for the New York Yankees during the 1920s when ...

. In 1935, Beggs played for the Akron Yankees of the Class C

Middle Atlantic League The Middle Atlantic League (or Mid-Atlantic League) was a lower-level circuit in United States, American minor league baseball that played during the second quarter of the 20th century. History The Middle Atlantic League played from 1925 in base ...

, and had a 15–14

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

in 41

games pitched In baseball statistics, games pitched (denoted by Games G in tables of only pitching statistics) is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher. The statistic is also referred to as appearances, especially to refer to the number of ...

. He also received a late-season promotion to the

Norfolk Tars The Norfolk Tars were a minor league baseball team that existed on and off from 1906 to 1955. Based in Norfolk, Virginia, they played in the Virginia League from 1906 to 1918 and from 1921 to 1928, in the Eastern League (1916), Eastern League from ...

of the Class B

Piedmont League The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States. Cities represented The following cities hosted teams th ...

. The Yankees assigned Beggs to Norfolk in 1936, and he won 22 games. The Yankees promoted Beggs to the

Newark Bears The Newark Bears were an American independent league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Bas ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League B ...

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

in 1937. He had a 21–4 record and a 2.61

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) for Newark that year, and pitched to the win in Game 4 of the

Junior World Series The Junior World Series was a postseason championship series between champions of two of the three highest minor league baseball leagues modeled on the World Series of Major League Baseball. It was called the Little World Series (no relation to t ...

against the

Columbus Red Birds The Columbus Red Birds were a top-level minor league baseball team that played in Columbus, Ohio, in the American Association from 1931 through 1954. The Columbus club, a member of the Association continuously since 1902, was previously known as ...

. He also contributed to Newark's win in the decisive Game 7. Beggs made his major league debut in April 1938. He had a 3–2 record and a 5.40 ERA in

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

with the Yankees in 1938 before they sent him back to Newark, where he went 6–3 for the rest of the season. In 1939, he was 12–10 with a 3.80 ERA for Newark and did not pitch for the Yankees. The Yankees ran out of options on Beggs after the 1939 season, so they traded him to the

for

Lee Grissom Lee Theo Grissom (October 23, 1907 – October 4, 1998) was an American professional baseball player. A left-handed pitcher, Grissom played in Major League Baseball between 1934 and 1941 for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Brooklyn Dodger ...

before the 1940 season. He had a 12–3 record and 2.00 ERA in 37

for the Reds, all of them but one as a relief pitcher, as the Reds won the

. He earned the nickname "

Fireman A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

" for his ability to "put out a threatening blaze" on the basepaths. Beggs continued to play as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

from 1941 through 1943, though at his request, he appeared as a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

for a few games late in the 1943 season. Beggs made one appearance for the Reds during the 1944 season, as a starting pitcher, before his career was interrupted by World War II. He enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. He missed the entire 1945 season. He returned to the Reds in 1946, and worked as a starting pitcher. He started for the Reds on

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

and won 12 games with a 2.32 ERA, which was the third-best in the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

. The Reds traded Beggs to the

for Babe Young on June 7, 1947. He started the season with an 0–3 record in 11 appearances for the Reds, and went 3–3 for the Giants, with a combined ERA of 4.58. Beggs underwent surgery on his throwing arm during the 1947–48 offseason. He pitched one-third of an inning in 1948 for the Giants before they released him on May 10. Later in May 1948, Beggs signed with the Yankees and was assigned to the Kansas City Blues of the American Association. In 1949, he became the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

of the

Charleston Senators The Charleston Senators were an American minor league baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They were the first professional baseball team to play in Charleston, beginning play in 1910. The team was inactive during a few periods, playi ...

of the Class A

Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...

. Beggs managed Charleston for two years, and then managed the Bluefield Blue-Grays of the Class D

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...

in 1952.

Personal life

Beggs married Ann (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Yargates) of Aliquippa in 1934. They had two daughters. Ann died after battling

Lou Gehrig's disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and lo ...

. Beggs married Laura Royce Kerst of

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

in 1974, and they moved to Indianapolis. Beggs spoke fluent Croatian,

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

, Slovene, and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

; he also read

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and studied French. Following his baseball career, Beggs taught history and geography in public schools in Millford and

. He served as Kentucky's superintendent of prisons under

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Happy Chandler Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler Sr. (July 14, 1898 – June 15, 1991) was an American politician from Kentucky. He represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate and served as its List of Governors of Kentucky, 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his ...

, and became the director of urban renewal for Newport in 1959. He retired in 1970. Beggs died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on July 19, 1983, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Indianapolis. Beggs has been inducted into the

halls of fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

for

Beaver County, Pennsylvania Beaver County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,215. Its county seat is Beaver, and its largest city is Aliquippa. The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the commonw ...

, and

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beggs, Joe 1910 births 1983 deaths People from Rankin, Pennsylvania Baseball players from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania Cincinnati Reds players New York Giants (baseball) players New York Yankees players Major League Baseball pitchers Geneva Golden Tornadoes baseball players American prison wardens Scranton Miners players Washington Generals (baseball) players Akron Yankees players 20th-century American sportsmen Norfolk Tars players Newark Bears (International League) players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II Schoolteachers from Kentucky

Early life

Professional career

Personal life

See also

References

External links