Former major league baseball pitcher George Henry
("Joe") Decker Jr. has passed away at age 55.
Decker, born in Storm Lake, was signed out of high school
in the first ever open pro "draft" to play for the Chicago Cubs.
Over several years, Joe pitched for the Cubs, the Minnesota Twins,
where he once recorded 15 strikeouts in a game, then an American
League record) and the Seattle Mariners. He wrapped up his career in
the Florida Senior League and also played some ball in Mexico, and
was later a pitching coach in the Detroit Tigers farm
system.
Joe had resided in the Sioux Rapids and Linn Grove areas
as a young man, where his father was a well-known
barber.
He died at his home in Frasier, Mich. His body was found
at the bottom of the basement stairs, but the medical cause of death
has not yet been determined.
A committal service will be held at Buena Vista Memorial Cemetery
in Storm Lake.
