Joe Boever

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Joe Boever

|position=Relief pitcher

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1960|10|4}}

|birth_place=Kirkwood, Missouri, U.S.

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=July 19

|debutyear=1985

|debutteam=St. Louis Cardinals

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 29

|finalyear=1996

|finalteam=Pittsburgh Pirates

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=34–45

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=3.93

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=541

|stat4label=Saves

|stat4value=49

|teams=

St. Louis Cardinals ({{mlby|1985}}–{{mlby|1986}})
Atlanta Braves ({{mlby|1987}}–{{mlby|1990}})
Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|1990}}–{{mlby|1991}})
Houston Astros ({{mlby|1992}})
Oakland Athletics ({{mlby|1993}})
Detroit Tigers ({{mlby|1993}}–{{mlby|1995}})
Pittsburgh Pirates ({{mlby|1996}})

}}

Joseph Martin Boever (born October 4, 1960) is an American former professional baseball right-handed relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from {{by|1985}} to {{by|1996}} for the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Early career

Boever pitched for Lindbergh High School in St. Louis, graduating in 1979. He pitched for three colleges, one of which was UNLV, before being signed as an undrafted free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals on June 25, 1982.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/boevejo01.shtml|title=Joe Boever Stats|date=2020|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|work=Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=April 5, 2020}}

Major league reliever

Boever made his major league debut for the St. Louis Cardinals on July 19, 1985, and would go on to appear in 24 games over the next two seasons.

On July 24, 1987, Boever was traded to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Randy O'Neal.

A career reliever, Boever was most notable for throwing a palmball pitch. Nicknamed "Boever The Saver", he was a closer for the 1989 Atlanta Braves, collecting 21 saves. In 1992, he led the league in appearances for a pitcher, playing in 81 games for the Houston Astros. Boever retired in 1997.