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

Baseball career

Joseph Sprinz was a major league

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 catcher ...

who played for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

from 1930 to 1931 and the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...

in 1933. He also played for the minor league team San Francisco Seals.

Attempt at World Record

As a member of the San Francisco Seals, Sprinz attempted to beat the

World Record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book '' Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizati ...

for catching a baseball dropped from a great height, set by members of the 1938

. In 1939, Sprinz had a blimp hover overhead at , 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.

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 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.

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1902 births 1994 deaths Major League Baseball catchers Cleveland Indians players St. Louis Cardinals players Baseball players from Missouri San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Arkansas City Osages players {{US-baseball-catcher-1900s-stub