John Edward “Eddie” Yuhas was born on this day in 1924 in Ohio, to Joseph and Mary Yuhas.
Eddie was a baseball player, and was first signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1942. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1943.
He served in the European Theatre during World War II.
After the war, he returned to the Cardinals and pitched in the minor leagues for five seasons. In 1947 he was pitching for the Cardinals in Winston-Salem, and spent the off-season in Winston-Salem as well.
Eddie made his major league debut with the Cardinals in 1952, at age 27. He won 12 games, and lost 2 games, in his first season. The team held an 88-66 record that season, and finished third in the National League. Eddie was dubbed “Mr. Right,” by the media, referring to his right-handed pitching.
In 1953 he only appeared in two games. He suffered an arm injury that kept him out the rest of the season. The Cardinals fell to an 83-71 record, still finishing third in the standings. His last game was in April 1953, and he never recovered from his arm injury, although he sought medical help from several specialists. He retired in 1954.
Eddie returned to Winston-Salem to work for R. H. Barringer, the local distributor for Anheuser-Busch. August Busch, the owner of Anheuser Busch breweries and the St. Louis Cardinals, offered Eddie the job. Eddie also worked for Jones Bakeries.
He appeared at the old-timers’ games at Ernie Shore Field, and coached a team in the Winston-Salem South Little League.
Eddie passed away in 1986.
