Meinke was born in 1863 in Chicago. His parents Herman and Louise Meinke, were both immigrants from Germany.\n', '

Meinke began his professional baseball career in 1883 with the Grand Rapids, Michigan club in the Northwestern League.\n', '

On May 1, 1884, opening day of the 1884 season, Meinke made his Major League Baseball debut with the Detroit Wolverines of the National League. The Wolverines lost the season opener to Philadelphia by a 13-2 score, began the season with an 11-game losing streak, and finished in eighth place with a 28-84 record. Meinke was the Wolverines\' lead pitcher during the 1884 season, appearing in 35 games and pitching 289 innings, including 31 complete games. He compiled a respectable 3.18 earned run average (ERA) but, with little support from his teammates, finished the season with an 8-23 record. Meinke also led the National League\'s pitchers with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.\n', '

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