| Joe Quest | |
|---|---|
 Joe Quest, c. 1886 | |
| Second baseman | |
| Born: November 16, 1852 New Castle, Pennsylvania | |
| Died: November 14, 1924 (aged 71) San Diego, California | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 30, 1871, for the Cleveland Forest Citys | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 13, 1886, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .217 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Runs batted in | 161 |
| Teams | |
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Joseph L. Quest (November 16, 1852 – November 14, 1924) was an American professional baseball player from 1871 to 1892. He played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (principally as a second baseman) for seven different major league clubs. His longest time with one team was with the Chicago White Stockings from 1879 to 1882, a stretch that included National League pennants in 1880, 1881, and 1882. He also appeared in parts of the 1883 and 1884 seasons with the St. Louis Browns and with the Detroit Wolverines in 1883 and 1885.
Although accounts vary as to the phrase's origin, Quest is perhaps most remembered for reportedly coining the phrase "Charley horse" to describe a sudden leg cramp or sprain. Quest appeared in 596 major league games and compiled a .217 batting average with 499 hits and 161 runs batted in. In 1878, he led the National League in errors at all positions, though he also led the league's second basemen in fielding percentage in both 1879 and 1881. He also led all position players with 331 assists in 1879.[1]