Joe Cleary
Joseph Christopher Cleary, nicknamed "Fire", was a Major League Baseball pitcher for one game in 1945. The right-hander was born in Cork, and he was the last native of Ireland to appear in a major league game until P. J. Conlon debuted for the New York Mets on May 7, 2018. He also holds the major league record for the highest ERA of any pitcher who retired a batter.
Cleary pitched one game in relief for the Washington Senators on August 4, 1945. In the 4th inning of game 2 of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox, he gave up 8 baserunners and 7 earned runs in just of an inning. World War II amputee Bert Shepard came in to relieve and pitched the final 5 innings, giving up just one run.
In Cleary's short MLB career he had a 0–0 record with 1 strikeout and an ERA of 189.00.
He died at the age of 85 in Yonkers, New York.
