He was the third of nine children born to manufacturing plant superintendent George Emig Sr. (1846–1904, a Bavarian immigrant who served as president of the Board of Education of Cincinnati from the Twelfth ward from 1879 to 1886 and he also served at various times on the Republican State and County Executive committees, and his Cincinnati-born wife, Mary (née Ziegler, 1851–1931).
A tall left-hand pitcher, Emig broke into professional baseball in 1894 at the age of 18, signing with the Staunton Hayseeds of the Virginia League.
[1] He made his Roanoke debut on April 27, coming in as a ninth inning defensive replacement for injured right fielder named Thompson in an 8–3 victory over Norfolk,[2] Emig's maiden pitching effort came days later, but he was "batted … very hard" by Petersburg in a 9–2 complete-game setback.
[3] Whether Emig got to pitch again is unclear, but he was apparently released by Staunton shortly thereafter (as his name disappears from ensuing game accounts).
"[9] Earlier it had been reported that Ewing intended to audition "Charles Emig, the famous twirler of the Bellevue Browns, in a game against Louisville,"[10] On that same August 29 date, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that on their way back from a trip to Chicago, "the Reds tried their new left-handed pitcher Emig" in an exhibition game against an independent pro club in Dayton.
[12] Emig had the fortune or misfortune to be joining the Louisville Colonels who were one of the worst teams in baseball history.
The team was managed by Bill McGunnigle who had a three-year major league career as a pitcher and outfielder.
But in the fifth "a sequence of errors, bases on balls and hits made their appearance and the young man had met his Waterloo, nine runs being scored by the home club."
The Buffalo Enquirer reported that "the trial was not a fair one, and McGunnigale must have been influenced by some of the clique to turn Emig down.
Clarke, George Miller, Billy Clingman and Jack Crooks treated Emig nicely.
Emig's won-loss record was not discovered, but he reportedly had an eight-game win streak in late summer.
[19] That winter, the good-sized Emig played tackle for a Cincinnati football club called the Newports.
"[26] Although details are unavailable, Charlie may have attempted a pro ball comeback in 1905 with the Charleston (South Carolina) Sea Gulls of the Class C Southern Atlantic League.
If so, the effort was short-lived, as Sporting Life reported "Charles Emig" as released by the club in early March.
The newspaper article states that Charlie played minor league and professional baseball from 1892 to 1906 with a number of teams.
The article notes that Charlie was "still in excellent health, he has a handshake as powerful as any, mows his own grass, keeps a garden and does his own housework."
"One day I got homesick and put my bag on my back and hitched home," said Emig while explaining how his career came to an end.
The article notes that he enjoyed watching baseball games on TV and that Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and Johnny Bench are among his favorite players.
In an interview when he was 99 years old, Emig discussed Henry Aaron's 714th home run and stated "I'm glad he got it.