Jim Heise
From BR Bullpen
James Edward Heise
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
- School West Virginia University
- Debut June 29, 1957
- Final Game July 30, 1957
- Born October 2, 1932 in Scottdale, PA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Twenty-four-year-old Jim Heise was a right-hander out of West Virginia University when he signed as an amateur free agent with the Washington Senators before the 1956 season. Heise was assigned to the Hobbs Sports of the class B Southwestern League, where he went 8-5 with a 4.94 ERA in his first season in the pros. In 1957 Jim's only shot at the major leagues came quick after he appeared in eleven games for the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern Association going 4-1 with a 1.31 ERA and the Senators called him to Washington. Heise would spend the month of July with the Senators, going 0-3 with a 8.05 ERA in eight appearances and his time in the "show" was over. Jim spent the rest of the year with the class B Lamesa Indians, appearing in 12 games and going 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA.
Heise would spend 1958 in a combined season, going 5-5 with a 3.84 ERA for the Charlotte Hornets of the South Atlantic League and also would win 5 and lose 5 with a 4.97 ERA for the Chattanooga Lookouts giving him an overall 10-10 record for the season. He would stay with the Chattanooga club for the 1959 year and would go 9-8 with a 2.93 ERA. 1960 was not a good year for Heise. The 27-year-old would be with both the Charleston Senators and the Chattanooga team again and win only 2 games against 9 losses while pitching 110 innings. Jim went to the mound one time in 1960 with the Wilson Tobs of the class B Carolina League. He pitched two innings, was bothered with arm trouble and decided to call it a career. This wound up his 6 year minor league run with a 35-35 record and a 3.88 ERA in 145 games.
The odds would have to be pretty long that a high school would have two former major league pitchers as a part of its faculty at the same time. But Heise was the assistant principal at Colonial High School in Orlando, FL, at the same time the former bullpen ace for the Cincinnati Reds, Hersh Freeman, was the school's baseball coach and teacher.
