Like many people born in the 1870s, there are not a lot of records of John “Tacks” Neuer. However, due to a successful but incredibly brief run in the nation’s national pastime, Neuer finds himself remembered some 149 years after he was welcomed into this world.
Before getting into his life and brief career, the Tacks nickname deserves to be addressed. Neuer was also called “Bugs” by his teammates. Both nicknames stemmed from Neuer’s behavior both on and off the field. With all due respect, the best I could gather is that Neuer was something of an early baseball version of Wild Thing Rick Vaughn. Both in terms of being a unique character and one who lacked control of the baseball when hurling it off the mound.
John Stein Neuer
Born: Born: June 8, 1877 (Fremont, Ohio)
Died: January 14, 1966 (Northumberland, Pennsylvania)
Yankees (Highlanders) Tenure: 1907
Neuer was the first born of a large family. When he was young the family relocated to central Pennsylvania. It was in the heart of Appalachia’s Pennsylvania coal country that Neuer grew up and spent most of his life.
Lucky enough to avoid World War I, Neuer still saw service in the US Military. That service came in the Spanish-American War. For those less historically inclined, and apologies to those who are more knowledgeable, the war between the Spanish Empire and the United States lasted about two months in 1898. Neuer enlisted and served as a private in the military for the year.
Upon being discharged from the military, Neuer returned home and began working for the railroad. While working on the railroad Neuer played baseball in his free time and grew into a local legend due to his lefty presence on the mound and impressive talent both hitting and on the basepaths. Neuer was a talented pitcher but often found his control would simply disappear.
After bouncing around playing where he could Neuer found himself almost 30-years-old and as far from the big leagues as ever. However, fate had other plans as Neuer found his way to Savannah Georgia in 1907. In Savannah, not for the Bananas, Neuer put together one of the best runs of his career and it just happened at the right time.
On August 23, 1907, the New York Highlanders purchased Neuer. The Highlanders had struggled to that point in the year and needed some pitching to make it through the season, and were hopeful of finding a few diamonds in the rough for the next season. Neuer and his impressive three-month stretch fit the bill.
A few days after joining the club, Neuer made his debut against the Boston Americans in the second game of a doubleheader. Neuer earned the win throwing a complete game shutout holding the Americans to only three hits and striking out six. Over the course of six more starts Neuer threw two more shutouts including a two hitter against the Washington Senators and a three hitter against the Chicago White Sox. Neuer’s final line for the season was a 4-2 record with a 2.17 ERA across 54.0 innings.
This performance dazzled and had many fans dreaming about what Neuer could be next year in a full season. Once again, fate had other plans. Neuer lost control of the baseball and tried to start throwing the junk pitches of the day like knuckleballs and the likes. This caused Neuer’s star to burn out as quickly as it streaked through the 1907 season and ended his major league career after only a few months.
The ending coming so quickly allows for some unique history. Neuer is still one of only a few pitchers in major league history to throw a complete game shutout in their first and final major league starts. Additionally, Neuer still owns the highest percentage of shutouts per start, excluding players who only made one start. In a way, Neuer almost feels like an early version of a Yankees cult hero, Aaron Small.
Neuer bounced around playing for several different minor league teams for several years, not officially retiring from playing until the 1913 season. After retiring, Neuer continued to be a part of the game. Neuer crossed over to the dark side and became an umpire. In this second cameo, Neuer made a name for himself as one of the original character umpires, known for a loud and one-of-a-kind strike call, laying the foundation for the likes of Ron Luciano, Dutch Rennert, and Tom Hallion amongst over umpires who have went untraditional in their approaches.
While his playing career at the highest level proved brief, Neuer remained connected to baseball for decades and left behind one of the most interesting statistical resumes in the sport’s history. A player, umpire, and Yankee.
Happy birthday Tacks!
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