Joe Cleary

Who was Joe Cleary?

Joseph Christopher Cleary, nicknamed "Fire", was a Major League Baseball pitcher for one game in 1945. The right-hander was born in Cork, and he was the last native of Ireland to appear in a major league game. He also holds the major league record for the highest ERA of any pitcher who retired a batter.

Cleary pitched one game in relief for the Washington Senators on August 4, 1945. In the 4th inning of game 2 of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox, he gave up 8 baserunners and 7 earned runs in just ⅓ of an inning. World War II amputee Bert Shepard came in to relieve and pitched the final 5⅓ innings, giving up just one run.

In Cleary's short MLB career he had a 0–0 record with 1 strikeout and an ERA of 189.00.

He died at the age of 85 in Yonkers, New York.

His brother Timothy F Cleary, also born in Cork, was a presidential appointee and Chairman of the United States Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. He raised 6 children in Bethesda, Md. Timothy, Maureen, Therese, Richard, Eileen and Gail Cleary.