All-Time Indians: Joe Heving

Long before the advent of the modern bullpen, Joe Heving made a name for himself as the Indians closer in the early 1940’s at the end of a back and forth career that lasted from the time he was 29 through 44.

If it seems like 29 is a little late to begin an MLB career, Heving had a great reason as he originally played in the independent minor leagues as an outfielder at the age of 22. From 1923 through 1929, he toiled through leagues all across the United States East of the Mississippi. While he struggled as a hitter until 1929, but in 1926 he started pitching regularly and by 1928, he was dominant in the South Atlantic league. A solid follow-up on the mound in 1929 caught the eye of the New York Giants who signed Heving to his first Major League deal in 1930.

Despite his advanced age, Heving still had major adjustments to make jumping into the Majors. He was used almost exclusively in relief in both 1930 and 1931 for the Giants and struggled, ultimately becoming a piece in a trade to the American Association. After one year in Indianapolis, he was taken in the Rule 5 draft by the White Sox. This would prove to be a breakout year for Heving as he posted a 2.67 ERA in 118 innings, but he couldn’t repeat his success in 1934 and was out of Major League baseball each year from 1935 through 1936. The Tigers tried to bring him up in 1936, but he couldn’t make it out of the minors. It was in 1937 that the Indians first signed Heving, purchasing him from Detroit.

Used exclusively in relief the first season, Heving saved five games and finished 15 others out of his 40 appearances. During this time, his 4.83 ERA was less than impressive and after allowing eight runs (six earned) in six innings, Heving was sent to the minors where he worked on converting into a starter. After this didn’t work out, he was sold to Boston in August where he made 11 starts to end the year. Heving spend two more years in Boston in this flex role before the Indians bought him back in 1941 at the age of 40.

It was this period in Cleveland that earned Heving his all-time status. In his first season back, he would have the best year of his career to this point with a 2.29 ERA in 70.2 innings, making three starts and completing two. In addition, he both won and saved five games, setting the stage for what would ultimately be the Indians record of 32 career holds (a number that would last until Ray Narleski broke it in 1957 and still ranks 16th all time).

The 1942 season would be another down year for Heving with a 4.86 ERA in just 46.1 innings, but he would return for his first season as a real closer in 1943. For the first time in Indians history, a relief pitcher saved nine games as he held a 2.75 ERA in 72 innings. Never a big strike out man, Heving’s 1.0 K/BB rate was his best with the Tribe since his first year in 1937.

At the age of 43, Heving would somehow have the best season of his career, posting numbers that no one could have predicted from him at any point in his career. Embracing him as the closer, Lou Boudreau used Heving in a league most 63 games, 38 of which he finished and ten he saved. Staying in the mold of the day, he was almost always used in multiple innings, tallying 119.2 innings with a 1.96 ERA. Making his numbers look even better, four of his 26 runs allowed during the season came in his final appearance when he was used as a starter the only time throughout the season. Prior to this, his ERA had been 1.74 and showing that he may have been tiring from the longest inning load of his career, it was just 1.57 on September 16th.

While it may not have been a compliment at the time, Heving left the Indians at the end of the 1944 season as the greatest reliever in team history, a title that has been passed on many times throughout the year. He finished his time in Cleveland with 190 games, a 3.13 ERA, 32 saves and 28 wins, a feat that has never been repeated by an Indians reliever (30+ saves, 28+ wins and an ERA below 3.20).

Knowing they had burned him out completely, Heving was let go at the end of the season and signed with Boston part way through 1945. At 45, he pitched in three games and allowed just two runs in five innings, but his arm was worn out and he retired mid-August. After this, he left baseball entirely moving on to a second career in steel work. He died in 1970 at the age of 69.