George Henry Decker, Jr. (June 16, 1947 – March 2, 2003) was a
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("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, who attempts to e ...
for the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...
(1969–72),
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...
(1973–76) and
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...
(1979). He was born in
Storm Lake, Iowa
Storm Lake is a city in Buena Vista County, Iowa, United States. The population was 11,269 in the 2020 census, an increase from 10,076 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Buena Vista County. Storm Lake is home to Buena Vista Universit ...
.
He was traded along with
Bill Hands
William Alfred Hands, Jr. (May 6, 1940 – March 9, 2017) was an American professional baseball player who pitched in the major leagues from 1965 to 1975. His best season came in 1969 with the Chicago Cubs, when he won 20 games.
Early life
A n ...
and minor‐league pitcher Bob Maneely by the Cubs to the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...
for
Dave LaRoche on December 1, 1972.
In February 2001, Joe Decker from the United States was officially recognized as the most athletic person in the world. In 24 hours, he cycled 161 km, ran 16 km, walked 8 km, kayaked 9.5 km, and swam 3 km himself. He didn't stop there. Joe pumped his abs 3,000 times, jumped out of a squat 1,100 times, did push-ups 1,100 times, did 1,000 leg swings, worked out 16 km on ski and rowing machines and lifted weights for 3 hours-for a total of 126,371 kg.
He died at age 55 from head injuries following a fall at his home in
Fraser, Michigan
Fraser is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 14,480 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Metro Detroit region.
History
The Village of Fraser was incorporated by an act of the state legislature in ...
.
References
External links
, o
RetrosheetVenezuelan Winter League:
1947 births
2003 deaths
Accidental deaths from falls
Accidental deaths in Michigan
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Arizona Instructional League Cubs players
Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players
Baseball players from Iowa
Chicago Cubs players
Diablos Rojos del México players
Evansville Triplets players
Gold Coast Suns (baseball) players
Lodi Crushers players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Mexican League baseball pitchers
Minnesota Twins players
People from Fraser, Michigan
People from Storm Lake, Iowa
Salt Lake City Gulls players
San Antonio Missions players
San Bernardino Pride players
San Jose Missions players
Seattle Mariners players
Sportspeople from Metro Detroit
Tacoma Cubs players
Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo players
Tigres de Aragua players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Treasure Valley Cubs players
Wichita Aeros players
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