Joe Berry (berryjo03)

Jonas Arthur Berry
(Jittery Joe)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10½", Weight 145 lb.

• Debut September 6, 1942
• Final Game September 21, 1946
• Born December 16, 1904 in Huntsville, AR USA
• Died September 27, 1958 in Anaheim, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jittery Joe Berry pitched in pro ball from 1927 to 1951, winning 248 minor league games with a 3.19 ERA. He was a rookie for the Philadelphia Athletics in the World War II year of 1944, when he was a few months shy of his fortieth birthday. Berry led the AL in saves and games finished that year and is still the oldest pitcher to lead the junior circuit in both categories. He repeated as games finished leader the next season, when he also led the AL in games pitched. Joe's 130.1 innings pitched in 1945 was then a record for relief innings by a pitcher aged 40 or older, and has been bettered since only by Hoyt Wilhelm.

Rare for a pitcher of his era, Berry pitched in 133 major league games without ever starting a game. His two 3 WAR seasons aged 39 or older remains the major league record for relievers, since matched only by Satchel Paige and Hoyt Wilhelm. After his final major league season in 1946, Berry pitched two years in the Texas League. He was player-manager of the Vernon TX Dusters of the Longhorn League in 1950 and, after being relieved as the Dusters' manager in 1951, played a final professional season the same year for the Corpus Christi Aces of the Gulf Coast League.

Notable Achievements

• AL Saves Leader (1944)
• AL Games Pitched Leader (1945)

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1950	Vernon Dusters	Longhorn League	83-70	4th	none	Lost in first round
1951	Vernon Dusters	Longhorn League	49-49	--	none	--	replaced by Horner Matney (18-22) on July 30

Related Sites

• Joe Berry at the SABR Bio Project