Minor leagues After being discovered playing semi-pro ball in
Waupun, Wisconsin, Hauser was signed to begin with the
Providence Grsys of the
Eastern League in 1918, and found himself back in his hometown two years later, with the
Milwaukee Brewers of the
American Association. There, he acquired the nickname "Unser Choe". As he told it, the predominantly German-immigrant fans would support him. If he was having a bad day at the plate and some fans were booing, others would admonish them with, "Das ist unser Choe!" --
German and German-English for "That is
our Joe!"
Major Leagues He had his best major league year statistically in 1924, but a broken leg and slow recovery hampered his career in 1925 and 1926. In 1928, he seemed to get back on track, but his ability to hit major league pitching somehow vanished, and after 1929, he was through in the majors. He later blamed
Oakland Athletics player-coach
Ty Cobb for over-analyzing and impairing his hitting style. In 629 games over 6 seasons in his major league career, Hauser compiled a .284
batting average (580-for-2044) with 351
runs, 80
home runs and 356
RBI. He recorded a .990
fielding percentage.
Back to the minor leagues Back in the minors in 1930, Hauser played for the
Baltimore Orioles of the
International League and regained his hitting touch, slamming a then-professional record of 63 home runs in one season, in the cozy confines of
Oriole Park. He also led the minors in homers in 1931. The
Minneapolis Millers of the American Association thought Hauser would be a good addition to the even-cozier
Nicollet Park, home of the Millers, and they were right. They bought his contract just before the 1932 season. After a slow start, Hauser hit 49 long ones to lead the Association in home runs. He might have hit more, and challenged the league record of 54 (set by
Nick Cullop of the
Millers in 1930), but he was rested to allow an injury to heal so that he would be healthy for the
Junior World Series. 1933 was Hauser's career year. The league decided to cut its schedule from 168 to 154 games, and Hauser went homer-less in his first nine games, so his prospects for even reaching his previous year's total were in doubt. However, in the home opener, Hauser hit one out in his first at-bat, and then three more the next day, and the long balls began to accumulate. By the end of June, he had reached 32. He hit his 50th on July 27 in Milwaukee. He hit his 54th and 55th in
Toledo a couple of weeks later, setting a new league mark. On August 20, he hit his 60th, the first player to hit 60 twice in a professional career. He tied and broke his own professional record by hitting his 63rd and 64th in St. Paul's
Lexington Park on
Labor Day. He pushed the total to 69, with his chance at 70 rained out. Hauser also collected 182
RBIs and a record-setting 439 total bases. Hauser got off to a good start in 1934, but a fractured kneecap ended his season, and his career wound down after that. He played off and on for the Millers and then
Sheboygan Indians before hanging up his cleats in 1943. ==Legacy==