Heinie Meine - Spitball Years

Spitball Years

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Meine served in the United States Army during World War I. After a tip that Meine, who was playing semipro ball in 1920, threw "a good spitball," he was signed to play professional baseball for Beaumont in the Texas League. Meine made his professional baseball debut in 1921 at age 25. He entered professional baseball the same year that the spitball, Meine's mainstay, was outlawed. Interviewed in 1963, Meine recalled:

"After the Carl Mays-Ray Chapman accident in 1920, baseball outlawed all freak pitches and trick deliveries. I had one break. Either the news was slow in reaching Texas or they didn't care what the rest of the world did. The spitball was still a legal pitch in the Texas League in 1921. I could use it, but I knew if I wanted to go to the majors I'd have to change over completely."

In the years that followed, Meine was forced to develop new pitches. He became a control pitcher who did not pitch with great velocity, but could hit his spots. Some referred to him as a "junk man" or a "junkballer."