Born to parents of German descent and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Meine served in the United States Army during World War I.

Interviewed in 1963, Meine recalled: After the Carl Mays–Ray Chapman accident in 1920, baseball outlawed all freak pitches and trick deliveries.

"[3][4] In 1922, Meine was sold to the St. Louis Browns but he appeared in only one game for the club, pitching four innings in relief.

[5] After the 1922 season, Meine spent three years in the minor leagues, pitching for the Syracuse Stars and Kansas City Blues.

Sportswriter Red Smith recalled spending a few hours there as a young reporter and later wrote: "Heinie's store was genteel in a knock-down-drag-out way, and the specialty of the house in those prohibition days was a brand of Moose Milk that would peel the paint off a battleship.

"[9] In 1930, with Prohibition still in effect, one newspaper account reported that Meine owned "a soft drink parlor" in St.

"[9] Meine later recalled that the patrons at his drinking establishment motivated him to return to baseball: "In 1928, some of the boys in the tavern kept riding me, saying that I could win in semipro ball and in the minors, but never in the majors.

Having been placed on the retired list, Meine was required to apply to Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis seeking reinstatement.

An Associated Press story in January 1931 noted: "The Pittsburgh Pirates think the reason they didn't finish higher in the National League race last season was because their tonsils were not so good.

[16] His 1931 performance led the National League in wins (19), innings pitched (284), and batters faced (1,202), and ranked fourth in earned run average (2.98).

"[18] In 1932, Meine was a holdout, refusing to accept the contract terms offered by the Pirates and declining to report to spring training in Paso Robles, California, with the rest of the team.

[24]When he led the Pirates to a 2–1 victory over Brooklyn in June 1932, The New York Times opened its game coverage as follows: "Heine Meine came to Ebbets Field with the Pirates yesterday and gave 18,000 fans an exhibition of his very best pitching by holding the Carey clan to five hits in seven innings.

"[26] The New York Times referred to Meine as the "ace of the Pirates' pitching staff" and reported that his contract was for five figures and was for one year.

[28] When the Pirates honored Honus Wagner with a tribute day in May 1933, Meine pitched a 2–1 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers.

After pitching three shutout innings in relief to help the Pirates come from behind against the Giants, The Pittsburgh Press reported: "Just when all hope was being lost for him, Heinie Meine came back yesterday to confound the critics with a brilliant bit of relief pitching.

[5] When Meine pitched a complete game, 4–1 victory over the Cubs in August 1934, the Chicago Daily Tribune reported: "Heinie Meine, a wobbly old timer who had pitched only one complete game this year, this afternoon felt no aches and pains in standing the Cubs on their heads for nine innings.

[36][37] He hired former major league players, including Marty McManus, Vern Stephens, Phil Todt, and Monty Stratton, to work at the school and advertised his courses in The Sporting News.

[38] Meine also helped develop the Lemay Baseball Association in St. Louis, building a field next to his tavern and maintaining it himself.