Joseph Hunt "Joe" Neale (May 7, 1866 – December 30, 1913) was a professional baseball

Professional baseball

Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....

 player. Neal played 10 seasons in pro-baseball, including 4 in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

. He both pitched

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

, and played the outfield

Outfield

The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...

 positions. In his four-year career, Neale had a win-loss record of 12–12 with a 4.59 ERA

Earned run average

In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

, 3 saves, and 58 strikeouts in 31 games pitched, 25 games started.

Louisville Colonels

Before playing in Major League Baseball, Neale played for a Class-B minor league

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...

. With the club, Neale went 3–6 with a 1.40 ERA in 9 games, all starts. With the Louisville Colonels

Louisville Colonels

The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that played in the American Association throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891, first as the Louisville Eclipse and later as the Louisville Colonels , the latter name derived from the historic Kentucky colonels...

 in the majors, Neale went 0–1 with a 7.71 ERA in 1 game. The next season, Neale played the entire season with the Colonels. In 5 games, he went 1–4 with a 6.97 ERA, and 11 strikeouts.

St. Louis Browns

After playing for the Colonels, Neale spent the next two seasons in the minors with the Columbus Senators

Columbus Senators

The Columbus Senators Minor league baseball team was born in as a founding member of the Tri-State League. After that, the Senators played in the Western League , Interstate League Western Association and American Association...

 of the Tri-State League

Tri-State League

The Tri-State League was the name of five different circuits in American minor league baseball.-History:The first league of that name played for four years and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia....

, and the Springfield Senators of the Central Interstate League

Central Interstate League

The Central Interstate League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1888-1889.-Former Teams:The following are former teams that made up the Central Interstate League:*Bloomington Reds, 1888*Burlington Babies, 1889...

. In 1890, Neale began the season with the major league St. Louis Browns. With the Browns that season, he went 5–3 with a 3.39 ERA, and 23 strikeouts in 10 games, 9 starts. Neale spent the rest of the season in the minor leagues with the Class-A Rochester Hop Bitters, and the Class-A Lebanon Cedars. The next season, Brown again played with the Browns. On the season, he went 6–4 with a 4.24 ERA, 3 saves, and 24 strikeouts in 15 games, 11 starts. Along with Kid Nichols

Kid Nichols

Charles Augustus Nichols , better known as Kid Nichols, was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Admired for his steadfast consistency year-in and year-out, Nichols won 361 games, the 7th highest total in major league history...

, and John Clarkson

John Clarkson

John Gibson Clarkson was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played from 1882 to 1894. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Clarkson played for the Worcester Ruby Legs , Chicago White Stockings , Boston Beaneaters , and Cleveland Spiders .He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in...

, Neale lead the majors in saves.

Later career

In 1892, Neale played for the Class-B New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans were a Minor league professional baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Team history:Founded in 1887, the Pelicans became part of the Southern Association in 1901...

, and the Class-B Mobile Blackbirds, both of the Southern Association

Southern Association

The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A , Class A1 and Class AA...

. The next season, Neale played for the Canton Deubers of the Ohio-Michigan League. Neale returned to the Southern Association in 1894 with the Class-B Memphis Giants. In final season in professional baseball, 1895, Neale played for the Class-B Montgomery Grays.

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