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FREDERICK AMOS HEIMACH was born in Camden NJ on January 27, 1902 to Mr. and Mrs. George Amos Heimach. His parents separated while he was quite young and he was raised by his grandparents, Edward and Margaret Heimach. His grandparents had been living in Cramer Hill since the 1880s, and his grandfather was a founding member of Citizens Fire Company No. 1. and served on Camden's City Council in the years after Stockton became part of Camden. Fred Heimach was the youngest of three children. When the Census was taken in 1910 the family lived at 945 North 26th Street in Cramer Hill. His grandfather then worked as a painter. The 1920 Census shows the family at 863 North 27th Street, Edward Heimach then working as a painter for one of the ferry companies that served Camden and Philadelphia. Also at home were uncle Albert Heimach and Frances Goos, both, sadly had lost their spouses. The 1920 Census also states that Fred Heimach was then a soldier in the United States Army. The 1930 Census confirms his World War I service. By then he had married and bought a home at |
764 North 27th Street, where he lived with wife Esther, daughter Margaret, his mother, an aunt and a niece. Fred Heimach's family later had an oyster house at North 27th Street and Hayes Avenue. Known as "Lefty", he was well-known in the neighborhood an also at Camden High School as a skilled baseball player and as a fine pitcher. He attracted the attention of Connie Mack and after being discharged from his military duties took up professional baseball. After pitching well for the Raleigh Nats of the Piedmont League, he was purchased by the Philadelphia Athletics on September 6, 1920. Just 19 years of age, he made his big league debut before the end of the 1920 major league season. He spent 1921 with the Moline (Iowa) Plowboys of the Illinois-Indian-Iowa (Three-I) League where he played under Earle Mack. The Plowboys won the pennant that year. After making one appearance with the Athletics in 1921, Fred Heimach returned to the big club in 1922 and soon established himself as a good pitcher and a dangerous hitter. A spring training injury cost him most of the 1925 season. Coming back in 1926, he was off to good start with the Philadelphia Athletics when, on June 15, 1926, when he was traded by along with Slim Harriss and Baby Doll Jacobson to the Boston Red Sox for Tom Jenkins and Howard Ehmke. The Red Sox were terrible, losing 107 games, while Ehmke helped take to Athletics to the World Series and World Championship in 1929, starting the first and last games of the series. Fred Heimach played with St. Paul in the American Association in 1927. He started the 1928 season with St. Paul and had won 16 games by mid-July. The New York Yankees, though a team loaded with no less than eight future Hall of Fame players, including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and a future Hall of Famer as its manager, Miller Huggins, were in a close race with the Philadelphia Athletics. The Yankees purchased Fred Heimachs contract from St. Paul and he was back in the big leagues. In his first start with the Yankees Fred Heimach threw a four-hit shutout against the Boston Red Sox. He finished the year with a record of two wins and three losses and an earned run average of 3.31 runs per nine innings pitched. The Yankees ultimately won the pennant and the World Series that season. One day that season while the Yankees were in Philadelphia, his teammate, Babe Ruth, was looking for a place to get a drink- not an easy task for out-of-towners in Prohibition-era Philadelphia. Fred Heimach brought the Babe over the river to Camden and his old Cramer Hill neighborhood. They stopped at Strahle's Tavern at North 26th Street and River Avenue, where the locals gave the visiting ballplayers an enthusiastic reception. Don Strahle, who's father was tending bar that night, writes "In the late 1920's there was a Cramer Hill neighbor who was a relief pitcher for the New York Yankees, Freddy Heimach. He came into the saloon one night about 10 o'clock when Henry was tending bar, bringing one of his teammates with him, Babe Ruth. There was pandemonium. Ruth wanted to buy everyone drinks, and everyone wanted to buy Ruth drinks." On September 11, 1928 the Camden County Chamber of Commerce organized a Fred Heimach Day at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, where the Yankees were facing the Athletics. Cramer Hill's Mathews-Purnell Post #518 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars presented Fred Heimach with a ring, and other gifts were tendered by his appreciative fans and friends, many of whom were in attendance.. Fred Heimach returned to the Yankees in 1929 as a starter and reliever, winning 11 games against six losses and saving four. On April 18 of that year, after two cancellations of their season start—their first ever—the Yankees opened against the Red Sox before 40,000 at the Stadium, winning 7–3. Judge Landis presents diamond-studded watches to the New York players in honor of their championship season in 1928. New York Starter George Pipgras allows just three hits in five 1/3 innings, but walks 9. Fred Heimach came in and pitched three 2/3 innings of hitless ball to preserve the win. In his first at bat against Boston's Red Ruffing, the newly wed Babe Ruth hit a home run and as he rounded second base, he doffed his cap to his bride Claire in the stands. Lou Gehrig added a home run in the sixth inning, off Milt Gaston. For the first time, the Yankees had numbers on their uniforms, assigned according to the player's spot in the lineup: Combs, 1, Koenig, two Ruth, 3, Gehrig, 4, Meusel, 5, Lazzeri 6, Durocher, 7, Grabowski, 8. The win went to Pipgras # 14, with Heimach #17 picking up the save. After opening 1930 in the minor leagues with the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association, Fred Heimach returned to the majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers in July of 1930. He was with Brooklyn 1933. A broken ankle and other injuries limited his play to ten appearances. On September 1, 1933 the Dodgers released him. He finished with a record of 62 wins, 69 losses, and an earned run average of 4.46 runs per nine innings pitched. It must be said that save for his two seasons with the New York Yankees, the teams he played for were pretty bad. The 1925 Athletics finished second but still were 8-1/2 games out of first place, the 1931 and 1932 Dodgers were finished fourth both years, all the other teams Fred Heimach played for finished in the bottom half of the leagues played in. Besides his pitching, Fred Heimach also made a name for himself with a .385 average as a pinch hitter. He is one of only 20 pitchers to collect 20 hits as a pinch hitter. He also played six games at first base for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1922. Defensively, he was also excelled. His fielding skill made him a "fifth infielder," and when a broken ankle finished him in 1933, he had run up a string of errorless games that went back to 1926, covering 171 chances. Another interesting event in Fred Heimach's baseball career occurred in 1922 when he was utilized as a courtesy runner. For a time, a courtesy runner was allowed for a player if that player had been injured and at the moment couldn’t continue. The original player then stayed in the game defensively in the next inning. Most often the courtesy runner was already in the lineup. The last time this happened was in 1949. On June 9, with Athletics playing the Tigers in Detroit, Tiger pitcher, Syl Johnson hit Jimmy Dykes on the head with a pitched ball in the second inning, which knocked Dykes unconscious. The Athletic third baseman returned to the game after Fred Heimach ran for him, with manager Cobb agreeing to the arrangement. The following year on May 5 he had the unfortunate luck to be called for a balk at Yankee Stadium. This was the first balk ever called at the then new park. After bidding adieu to the major leagues in 1933, Fred Heimach returned to the American Association. He returned to the St. Paul Saints for the 1934 season. By 1936 Fred Heimach had moved to Florida. He operated a barbecue stand. By 1938 he was living in Dade County. That year 1938 he divorced his wife Esther and was soon remarrried, to Donnie C. Moore. Fred Heimach died in Fort Myers, Florida at the age of 72 on June 1, 1973, survived by his wife Donnie. She relocated to Arizona, where she passed away in 1983. In 1990 Fred Heimach was elected to the South Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame. |
Ironwood, Michigan Daily Globe - September 7, 1920 |
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Indianapolis, Indiana Star - May 6, 1921 |
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Danville, Virginia Bee - July 17, 1922 |
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Lima, Ohio News - March 21, 1925 |
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Davenport, Iowa Democrat and Leader - June 16, 1926 |
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Camden Courier-Post - January 31, 1928 |
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Neil
Deighan
- Freddy
Heimach
- Joe
Hyde
- Lou
Schaub - Joe Sheehan
- Abe
Corotis
Immaculate
Conception
Bismarck, North Dakota Tribune - August 28, 1928 |
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Camden Courier-Post - September 11, 1928 |
Camden Courier-Post - September 12, 1928 |
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From Left: unknown Yankee, Philip G. Wilson, Herb Pennock, Elmer Graw, Fred Heimach, Jefferson J. Flanagan, Congressman Charles A. Wolverton (speaking to Heimach, in straw hat) Loyal D. Odhner (in uniform), Francis B. Wallen (white hat), Lewis K. Marr |
Camden Courier-Post - February 2, 1931 |
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MAJOR LEAGUE RECORD |
Pitching
Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BFP IBB BK ERA *lgERA *ERA+ WHIP +--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+ 1920 19 pha AL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 13 9 8 0 1 0 0 0 25 1 14.40 4.01 28 2.800 1921 20 pha AL 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 7 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 32 0 0.00 4.45 inf 0.889 1922 21 pha AL 7 11 37 19 7 0 11 1 171.7 220 117 96 18 63 47 3 3 784 0 5.03 4.23 84 1.649 1923 22 pha AL 6 12 40 19 10 0 13 0 208.3 238 120 100 14 69 63 6 3 922 1 4.32 4.10 95 1.474 1924 23 pha AL 14 12 40 26 10 0 9 0 198.0 243 122 104 2 60 60 4 0 893 2 4.73 4.27 90 1.530 1925 24 pha AL 0 1 10 0 0 0 4 0 20.3 24 10 9 2 9 6 1 1 89 0 3.98 4.65 117 1.623 1926 25 TOT AL 3 9 33 14 6 0 11 0 133.7 147 86 74 6 47 25 0 1 575 0 4.98 4.09 82 1.451 pha AL 1 0 13 1 0 0 7 0 31.7 28 14 10 1 5 8 0 0 125 0 2.84 4.18 147 1.042 bos AL 2 9 20 13 6 0 4 0 102.0 119 72 64 5 42 17 0 1 450 0 5.65 4.06 72 1.578 1928 27 nyy AL 2 3 13 9 5 0 3 0 68.0 66 30 25 3 16 25 1 1 311 0 3.31 3.76 113 1.206 1929 28 nyy AL 11 6 35 10 3 3 15 4 134.7 141 72 60 4 29 26 3 3 565 0 4.01 3.86 96 1.262 1930 29 bro NL 0 2 9 0 0 0 5 1 7.3 14 5 4 0 3 1 0 0 39 0 4.91 4.92 100 2.318 1931 30 bro NL 9 7 31 10 7 1 15 1 135.3 145 66 52 6 23 43 1 1 565 0 3.46 3.82 111 1.241 1932 31 bro NL 9 4 36 15 7 0 15 0 167.7 203 85 74 7 28 30 6 1 726 0 3.97 3.80 96 1.378 1933 32 bro NL 0 1 10 3 0 0 3 0 29.7 49 33 33 2 11 7 2 0 148 0 10.01 3.20 32 2.022 +--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+ 13 Yr WL% .473 62 69 296 127 56 5 104 7 1288.7 1510 755 639 64 360 334 27 14 5674 4 4.46 4.03 90 1.451 +--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+ 162 Game Avg 9 11 47 20 9 0 16 1 207.0 242 121 102 10 57 53 4 2 912 0 0 4.46 4.03 90 1.451 Career High 14 12 40 26 10 3 15 4 208.3 243 122 104 18 69 63 6 3 922 0 2 3.31 4.27 113 1.206 +--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+ W L G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BFP IBB BK ERA *lgERA *ERA+ WHIP * indicates the value is park adjusted (now all 3-year factors)
Batting
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP +--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+ 1920 19 pha AL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 -100 0 0 0 1921 20 pha AL 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 .250 .250 .250 28 1 0 0 1922 21 pha AL 37 60 6 15 3 1 0 7 1 0 5 12 .250 .308 .333 65 20 3 0 1923 22 pha AL 63 118 14 30 4 1 1 11 0 0 4 18 .254 .279 .331 59 39 5 0 1924 23 pha AL 58 90 14 29 3 2 0 12 1 0 3 8 .322 .344 .400 91 36 3 0 1925 24 pha AL 15 6 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .167 .167 .167 -18 1 0 0 1926 25 TOT AL 40 54 2 14 1 0 0 4 0 0 3 13 .259 .298 .278 52 15 1 0 pha AL 14 10 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 .100 .100 .200 -25 2 0 0 bos AL 26 44 2 13 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 9 .295 .340 .295 69 13 1 0 1928 27 nyy AL 18 30 2 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 6 .167 .219 .167 4 5 1 0 1929 28 nyy AL 36 49 5 9 2 0 1 2 0 0 3 12 .184 .231 .286 36 14 0 0 1930 29 bro NL 13 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250 .250 .250 22 1 0 0 1931 30 bro NL 39 61 3 12 0 1 0 5 0 4 7 .197 .246 .230 29 14 0 0 1932 31 bro NL 37 55 9 9 2 0 1 4 0 4 18 .164 .220 .255 28 14 3 0 1933 32 bro NL 10 10 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .200 .200 .200 16 2 0 0 1 +--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+ 13 Seasons 368 542 58 128 15 5 3 49 2 0 28 98 .236 .274 .299 50 162 16 0 0 0 1 +--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+ 162 Game Avg 239 26 56 7 2 1 22 1 0 12 43 .236 .274 .299 50 71 7 0 0 0 0 Career High 63 118 14 30 4 2 1 12 1 0 5 18 39 5 0 0 0 1 +--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+ Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
Special Batting
Year Ag Tm Lg PA Outs rc rc/g air ba *lgba obp *lgobp slg *lgslg ops *lgops*ops+ owp *btrns BtWin SB% +--------------+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+-----+----+ 1920 19 pha AL 1 1 0 0.0 107| .000 .292| .000 .357| .000 .402| .000 .759|-100 .000 -0.3 0.0 0% 1921 20 pha AL 4 3 0 0.0 114| .250 .300| .250 .366| .250 .421| .500 .786| 28 .000 -0.4 0.0 0% 1922 21 pha AL 68 48 6 3.4 112| .250 .297| .308 .362| .333 .417| .641 .779| 65 .346 -3.2 -0.3 100% 1923 22 pha AL 127 93 11 3.2 109| .254 .291| .279 .361| .331 .403| .610 .764| 59 .328 -7.7 -0.8 0% 1924 23 pha AL 96 64 13 5.4 113| .322 .299| .344 .369| .400 .411| .744 .780| 91 .547 -1.8 -0.2 100% 1925 24 pha AL 6 5 0 0.0 121| .167 .308| .167 .380| .167 .432| .334 .812| -18 .000 -1.1 -0.1 0% 1926 25 TOT AL 58 41 4 2.6 108| .259 .288| .298 .359| .278 .404| .576 .764| 52 .254 -3.9 -0.4 0% pha AL 10 9 0 0.0 115| .100 .297| .100 .370| .200 .417| .300 .787| -25 .000 -1.9 -0.2 0% bos AL 48 32 4 3.3 107| .295 .286| .340 .357| .295 .401| .635 .759| 69 .348 -2.0 -0.2 0% 1928 27 nyy AL 33 26 1 1.0 106| .167 .285| .219 .350| .167 .405| .386 .754| 4 .058 -4.2 -0.4 0% 1929 28 nyy AL 52 40 3 2.0 107| .184 .284| .231 .350| .286 .410| .517 .760| 36 .159 -4.8 -0.5 0% 1930 29 bro NL 4 3 0 0.0 126| .250 .310| .250 .369| .250 .462| .500 .831| 22 .000 -0.5 0.0 1931 30 bro NL 65 49 3 1.6 102| .197 .284| .246 .343| .230 .401| .476 .744| 29 .130 -6.3 -0.6 1932 31 bro NL 62 49 3 1.6 102| .164 .282| .220 .334| .255 .408| .475 .742| 28 .128 -5.6 -0.6 1933 32 bro NL 10 9 0 0.0 88| .200 .269| .200 .322| .200 .369| .400 .690| 16 .000 -1.1 -0.1 +--------------+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+-----+-----+-----+----+ 13 Seasons 586 431 44 2.7 108| .236 .290| .274 .355| .299 .407| .573 .763| 50 .266 -41.0 -4.0 * indicates the value is park adjusted (now all 3-year factors)
Fielding
Year Ag Tm Lg Pos G PO A E DP FP lgFP RFg lgRFg RF9 lgRF9 GS Inn
+--------------+---+----+------+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+------+
+---- Fielding Sorted by Year ------+
1920 19 pha AL P 1 1 5 0 0 1.000 .952 6.00 1.70 10.80 2.70 1 5.01921 20 pha AL P 1 1 5 0 0 1.000 .952 6.00 1.60 6.00 2.70 1 9.0 1922 21 pha AL P 37 7 46 3 4 .946 .964 1.43 1.48 2.78 2.60 19 171.7 1923 22 pha AL P 40 14 54 4 2 .944 .959 1.70 1.49 2.94 2.72 19 208.3 1B 6 54 2 2 1 .966 .989 9.33 10.22 1924 23 pha AL P 40 11 57 2 1 .971 .959 1.70 1.32 3.09 2.53 26 198.0 1925 24 pha AL P 10 1 6 0 1 1.000 .959 0.70 1.40 3.10 2.66 0 20.3 1926 25 TOT AL P 33 8 58 4 3 .943 .957 2.00 1.39 4.44 2.66 14 133.7 pha AL P 13 5 14 0 0 1.000 .955 1.46 1.39 5.39 2.67 1 31.7 bos AL P 20 3 44 4 3 .922 .957 2.35 1.39 4.15 2.66 13 102.0 1928 27 nyy AL P 13 0 16 0 2 1.000 .958 1.23 1.37 2.12 2.44 9 68.0 1929 28 nyy AL P 35 6 37 0 1 1.000 .958 1.23 1.29 2.87 2.34 10 134.7 1930 29 bro NL P 9 0 3 0 1 1.000 .968 0.33 1.10 3.70 2.22 0 7.3 1931 30 bro NL P 31 8 44 0 3 1.000 .959 1.68 1.20 3.46 2.22 10 135.3 1932 31 bro NL P 36 10 41 0 1 1.000 .957 1.42 1.21 2.74 2.29 15 167.7 1933 32 bro NL P 10 0 6 0 1 1.000 .968 0.60 1.28 1.82 2.36 3 29.7
+---- Fielding Sorted by Position --+
1923 22 pha AL 1B 6 54 2 2 1 .966 .989 9.33 10.221920 19 pha AL P 1 1 5 0 0 1.000 .952 6.00 1.70 10.80 2.70 1 5.0 1921 20 pha AL P 1 1 5 0 0 1.000 .952 6.00 1.60 6.00 2.70 1 9.0 1922 21 pha AL P 37 7 46 3 4 .946 .964 1.43 1.48 2.78 2.60 19 171.7 1923 22 pha AL P 40 14 54 4 2 .944 .959 1.70 1.49 2.94 2.72 19 208.3 1924 23 pha AL P 40 11 57 2 1 .971 .959 1.70 1.32 3.09 2.53 26 198.0 1925 24 pha AL P 10 1 6 0 1 1.000 .959 0.70 1.40 3.10 2.66 0 20.3 1926 25 TOT AL P 33 8 58 4 3 .943 .957 2.00 1.39 4.44 2.66 14 133.7 pha AL P 13 5 14 0 0 1.000 .955 1.46 1.39 5.39 2.67 1 31.7 bos AL P 20 3 44 4 3 .922 .957 2.35 1.39 4.15 2.66 13 102.0 1928 27 nyy AL P 13 0 16 0 2 1.000 .958 1.23 1.37 2.12 2.44 9 68.0 1929 28 nyy AL P 35 6 37 0 1 1.000 .958 1.23 1.29 2.87 2.34 10 134.7 1930 29 bro NL P 9 0 3 0 1 1.000 .968 0.33 1.10 3.70 2.22 0 7.3 1931 30 bro NL P 31 8 44 0 3 1.000 .959 1.68 1.20 3.46 2.22 10 135.3 1932 31 bro NL P 36 10 41 0 1 1.000 .957 1.42 1.21 2.74 2.29 15 167.7 1933 32 bro NL P 10 0 6 0 1 1.000 .968 0.60 1.28 1.82 2.36 3 29.7
+--------------+---+----+------+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+------+ Position Total P* 296 67 378 13 20 .972 .959 1.50 1.34 127 1288.7 1B 6 54 2 2 1 .966 .989 9.33 10.22 +--------------+---+----+------+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+------+ Overall Total 302 121 380 15 21 .971 .962 1.66 1.52
Appearances on Leaderboards and Awards
Awards are Year-League-Award, Stats are Year-Value-Rank, (Pos) for All-Star indicates starter & * indicates they played.
Bases on Balls/9IP |
Saves |
Shutouts |
SO to Walk |
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Earned Runs Allow. |
Hit Batsmen |
Games Finished |
Lima, Ohio News - March 29, 1936 |
Fred Heimach, former Yankee and Dodger flinger, is operating a barbecue stand in Miami, Florida. |
Mason City, Iowa Globe Gazette - March 29, 1946 |
Fred Heimach, former major league southpaw, is a member of the Miami police force. |
Brownsville, Texas Herald - January 5, 1950 |
Walter Winchell On Broadway Remember Fred Heimach? He pitched for the Yanks. He's now a sergeant on the Miami Beach police force… |