Joel McKeon

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1963)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

| name = Joel McKeon

| image =

| position = Pitcher

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|2|25}}

| birth_place = Covington, Kentucky, U.S.

| death_date =

| bats = Left

| throws = Left

|debutleague = MLB

| debutdate = May 6

| debutyear = 1986

| debutteam = Chicago White Sox

|finalleague = MLB

| finaldate = July 10

| finalyear = 1987

| finalteam = Chicago White Sox

|statleague = MLB

| stat1label = Win–loss record

| stat1value = 4–3

| stat2label = Earned run average

| stat2value = 5.17

| stat3label = Strikeouts

| stat3value = 32

| teams =

• Chicago White Sox ({{mlby|1986}}–{{mlby|1987}})

}}

Joel Jacob McKeon (born February 25, 1963) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for two seasons. He played for the Chicago White Sox for 30 games during the 1986 Chicago White Sox season and 13 games during the 1987 Chicago White Sox season.

McKeon grew up in Erlanger, Kentucky but moved to Florida before high school.{{cite news |last1=Weber |first1=James |title=A look at Northern Kentucky players in Major League Baseball |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/high-school/kentucky-high-school/2020/04/08/look-northern-kentucky-players-major-league-baseball/2973659001/ |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=The Cincinnati Enquirer |date=April 8, 2020}} McKeon attended South Broward High School in Hollywood, Florida and played college baseball at Miami Dade College.{{cite news |title=Joel McKeon 50 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-04-05-8701280894-story.html |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=April 5, 1987}} In 1987, South Broward dedicated its baseball clubhouse to McKeon.{{cite news |last1=Boetel |first1=Ray |title=MCMILLON A LONG SHOT TO BREAK SCORING RECORD |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1987-02-12-8701090971-story.html |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=Sun-Sentinel |date=February 12, 1987}}

He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1982 and assigned to the Gulf Coast League to begin his professional career.{{cite web |title=Joel McKeon Minor & Mexican Leagues Statistics & History |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=mckeon001joe |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=21 June 2021 |language=en}}

McKeon's wrist was injured early in spring training in 1986 but he performed well enough in the first month of the Triple-A season to earn his first promotion to the Major Leagues on May 7, 1986. Outfielder Rodney Craig was promoted to make room for him on the roster.{{cite news |last1=Sherman |first1=Ed |title=WALKER'S WRIST FEELING 'BETTER,' WEIGHTS TEST NEXT |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-05-07-8602010983-story.html |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=May 7, 1986}} He made his Major League debut on May 6 against the New York Yankees;{{cite web |title=Joel McKeon Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mckeojo01.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=21 June 2021 |language=en}} he pitched a scoreless two thirds of an inning in relief of Dave Schmidt.{{cite web |title=New York Yankees at Chicago White Sox Box Score, May 6, 1986 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA198605060.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=21 June 2021 |language=en}} He recorded the only save of his career on June 6 of that season, retiring both Oakland Athletics batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth inning.{{cite web |title=Oakland Athletics at Chicago White Sox Box Score, June 6, 1986 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA198606060.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=21 June 2021 |language=en}} In July, McKeon contracted hepatitis in Cleveland and was hospitalized in Chicago. He was placed on the disabled list and would not return that season.{{cite news |last1=Sherman |first1=Ed |title=Sox Shot Down by Indians |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-07-24-8602230188-story.html |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=July 24, 1986}}

In 1987, McKeon was demoted to the minor leagues on June 4 after eleven appearances with the White Sox. On June 30, pitcher Ray Searage was demoted and McKeon was recalled to the Major League roster.{{cite news |title=The Chicago White Sox recalled left-hander Joel McKeon from... |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/06/30/The-Chicago-White-Sox-recalled-left-hander-Joel-McKeon-from/4310552024000/ |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=United Press International |date=June 30, 1987 |language=en}} He was demoted again on July 16.{{cite news |title=FOR THE RECORD |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1987/07/16/for-the-record/3d5df3fa-db1b-48a2-b77a-247518c35bb5/ |access-date=21 June 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 16, 1987}} All said, he pitched 21 innings in with the White Sox in 1987 and allowed 22 earned runs. It would be his final season at the Major League level.

On February 11, 1988, McKeon was selected as the player to be named later in a trade to the San Diego Padres for Ed Wojna.{{cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Fred |title=Dick Moss, Andre Dawson's agent, is sticking... |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-02-12-8803290813-story.html |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=February 12, 1988}} McKeon was not added to the 40-man roster but was invited to spring training.{{cite news |title=The San Diego Padres Thursday signed relief pitcher Mark... |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/02/11/The-San-Diego-Padres-Thursday-signed-relief-pitcher-Mark/3165571554000/ |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=United Press International |date=February 11, 1988 |language=en}} McKeon would spend the next four seasons in the farm systems of the Padres, Montreal Expos, Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles. His final season in affiliated Minor League Baseball came in 1991.

After his final season in North America, McKeon signed a contract to play baseball in Italy in 1992. However, after his contract fell through, he began pitching and managing for a team in Brasschaat, Belgium instead.{{cite news |last1=Thomsen |first1=Ian |title=Baseball, the Belgian Pastime |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/23/sports/IHT-baseball-the-belgian-pastime.html |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=International Herald Tribune |publisher=The New York Times |date=August 23, 1994}} He continued to play for the team at least through the 1995 season, also balancing it with a job in his father's automotive services supply company in Hollywood, Florida.{{cite news |title=Baseball Missionary a Champ in Belgium |url=https://apnews.com/article/50397dbbbd012304c46f09416c3034d0 |access-date=21 June 2021 |work=Associated Press |date=October 8, 1994}}{{cite book |last1=Fireovid |first1=Steve |author-link=Steve Fireovid |title=The 26th Man: One Minor League Pitcher's Pursuit of a Dream |date=1996 |publisher=U of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-0-8032-6891-3 |page=227 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OlUfZP3NlK0C&pg=PA227 |access-date=21 June 2021 |language=en}} In 1995, he coached the Belgian representative at the European Cup.

While playing in Belgium, McKeon met a woman named Karen who he would marry.