Joe Sprinz

While playing for the San Francisco Seals, Sprinz attempted to beat the world record for catching a baseball dropped from a great height. On May 10, 1939, Sprinz was one of three players who caught balls dropped 437 feet (133 m) by Seals manager Lefty O'Doul from a tower at the Golden Gate International Exposition. O'Doul forbade the practice after the initial stunt but, that summer, Sprinz returned to the Exposition to make another attempt.

For a public stunt on his 37th birthday, August 3, 1939, Sprinz attempted to catch balls dropped from a blimp hovering approximately 800 feet (240 m) overhead.^[5] On his fifth attempt, a baseball entered his glove, slamming his glove hand into his face with such force that he broke his upper jaw in twelve places, fractured several of his teeth, and rendered him briefly unconscious.^[6][7] He was hospitalized and suffered from headaches for five years.^[8][9]

Sprinz has rejected deserving the Guinness World Record for the feat, recalling in 1975 "Naw, I never caught that thing... I saw that item in the Guinness book, but they got it all wrong."^[9]

Baseball writer Lee Warren speculated that, given the ubiquity of publicity stunts in Minor League Baseball, the Seals were likely involved in arranging for Sprinz to make an attempt at the world record despite the known danger. However, no firm evidence exists for this.^[3][10][11]

• Career statistics from Baseball Reference · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet  · Baseball Almanac