In 1939, catcher Joe Sprinz was playing for the San Francisco Seals, a minor league team. He had spent three years in the majors-two with Cleveland and one with St. Louis. Sprinz decided he wanted to set a new world record for catching a baseball dropped from a great height. On August 3, 1939, the Seals organization arranged for the Goodyear blimp to hover 800 feet over Treasure island, which was then hosting the Golden Gate International Exposition-a World's Fair type
It's a Bird!
It's a Plane!...
It's Baseball?
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Joe Sprinz's attempt at catching a 154-mph ball ends with a broken jaw.
of event. It also happened to be Sprinz's 37th birthday and the 100th anniversary of baseball. He missed the first four balls, but on the fifth Sprinz angled his catcher's mitt in position to catch the hurtling sphere. The ball plummeting at an estimated 154 miles per hour smashed into his mitt, which according to the physicist, David Hal-liday, "slammed his glove hand into his face with such force that he broke his upper jaw in twelve places, fractured five of his teeth and [he] was rendered unconscious." According to an era sportswriter, Harry Borba, Sprinz also broke his nose and "suffered ragged lacerations of both the upper and lower lips." He spent three months in the hospital recovering.
first four balls, but on the fifth Sprinz angled his catcher's mitt in position to catch the hurtling sphere. The ball plummeting at an estimated 154 miles per hour smashed into his mitt, which according to the physicist, David Halliday, "slammed his glove hand into his face with such force that he broke his upper jaw in twelve places, fractured five of his teeth and [he] was rendered unconscious." According to an era sportswriter, Harry Borba, Sprinz also broke his nose and "suffered ragged lacerations of both the upper and lower lips." He spent three months in the hospital recovering.
Sprinz was not inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he is recorded in The Guinness Book of World Records. He holds the record for the "World's Highest Catch"-a record that has stood now for 73 years.
After the Sprinz incident it seemed as though nobody wanted to catch a baseball dropped from an airplane (much less a blimp). But in 2012 Zack Hample decided to try to break Sprinz's record. Hample is a well known sportswriter and baseball aficionado-best known for his collection of baseballs. He has caught over 6,000 baseballs from 50 baseball stadiums all over North America. On July 2, 2012, Hample tried to break Sprinz's record at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Massachusetts. His intent was to catch the baseball dropped from a helicopter from 1,000 feet. He first caught a softball dropped from 312 feet-establishing a record. He then caught baseballs dropped from 312 feet, 562 feet, and 762 feet, respectively. Before he could break Sprinz's record, though, the Federal Aviation Administration called off the stunt due to strong winds. Hample plans on attempting the stunt again next year. One major difference between Hample's efforts and those of Robinson, Ruth, and Sprinz's-Hample wore protective gear including a catcher's mask with hard-shell protective head gear and breast plate.
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