George A. Heubel (June 20, 1849 – January 22, 1896) was an American professional baseball player. He was the first player born in Germany to play in the National Association and the National League.
Career Heubel started his amateur career in 1867 with the Quaker City team. He then played for Geary in 1868 and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1869. In 1870, he was the left fielder for the Cleveland Forest Citys.Ryczek, William J. When Johnny Came Sliding home: The Post-Civil War Baseball Boom, 1865–1870 (McFarland, 1998), p. 261.
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players started play in 1871, and in its first season, Heubel was the right fielder for the Athletics. He batted .307 in 17 games (the team played 28 in total), and the Athletics won the first NA pennant. In 1872, he played five games in center field for the Washington Olympics and then retired as a player. He worked as an umpire for the NA in 1875.Nemec, David. The Great Encyclopedia of Nineteenth Century Major League Baseball (University of Alabama Press, 2006), p. 1009.
The National League formed in 1876, and Heubel umpired for the league that season.Nemec, p. 1010. He also played one game for the New York Mutuals. In 1887, he managed the Allentown Peanut Eaters of the Pennsylvania State Association."George Heubel Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
Heubel later became a groundskeeper for the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1894, however, he was held responsible for a fire at the ballpark and was subsequently fired.Morris, Peter. Level playing fields: how the groundskeeping Murphy brothers shaped baseball (U of Nebraska Press, 2007), p. 52.
Heubel was also a clerk. He died in 1896, at the age of 46, and was buried in Leverington Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."George Heubel Death Certificate" . thedeadballera.com. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
See also List of Major League Baseball players from Europe
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