Joe Heving started pitching in the majors at age 30 and pitched his last game 15 years later.

One of major league’s pioneering relief pitchers, Joe Heving had a very fine rookie season at age 30 in 1930 with the old New York Giants, saving 6 games and posting a major league leading seven relief wins and also led the NL in relief losses with five. After going 1-6 the next season and then pitching in the minors in 1932, Joe Heving signed with the Chicago White Sox in 1933 and had a very fine season, a 7-5 record, including a 5-1 record in relief plus 5 saves with a solid 2.67 earned run average. After a disappointing 1-7 in 1934 the White Sox sent him to the minors for more experience.

Armed with an arsenal of newly learned pitches learned in the minors, including slow curves, sidearm and three quarter arm deliveries, the 6 ft 1 inch, 185 pound relief specialist progressively got better and better. In 1937 Joe Heving went 8-4 with the Cleveland Indians, and after relieving in 3 games with the Indians in 1938 he was sold to the Red Sox and posted a splendid 8-1 for the second place Red Sox. In 1939 Joe Heving went 11-3, and once more led the majors in relief wins with 11 and in saves with 7. In 1940 he had a 12-7 record and led the AL with 8 relief wins, and then, to the dismay of Red Sox fans was sold back to Cleveland in 1941. In 1944 at age 44 Joe Heving led the majors with 63 games, 62 of them in relief, finishing with an 8-3 record with a   stingy career-best 1.96 ERA. After pitching 3 games in early 1945 his arm gave out and he returned to Covington Kentucky, the town where he was born. Note: Joe Heving's older brother, Johnnie, was a major league catcher for eight years. Baseball History