Emil Matthew Verban (his original Serbian name is Vrban; August 27, 1915 – June 8, 1989) was a second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1944–1946), Philadelphia Phillies (1946–1948), Chicago Cubs (1948–1950) and Boston Braves (1950).

Browns owner Don Barnes had earned the ire of Verban after refusing his request for a better seat for his pregnant wife.

[1] Verban also played for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves, and made two consecutive appearances in the All-Star Game (1946 and 1947).

In 1975, a group of Chicago Cubs fans based in Washington, D.C. formed the Emil Verban Society to honor him.

Verban initially believed he was being ridiculed, but his ill feeling disappeared several years later when he was flown to Washington to meet President Ronald Reagan, also a society member, at the White House.