Signed as an undrafted free agent in 1964 by the Philadelphia Phillies out of high school, when he was 17.
Lis entered the majors in 1970 with the Philadelphia Phillies, playing for them three years before joining the Minnesota Twins (1973–1974), Cleveland Indians (1974–1976), and Seattle Mariners (1977). He had been traded along with Ken Sanders and Ken Reynolds by the Phillies to the Twins for César Tovar on December 1, 1972.[3] While relegated to playing mainly first base as a big leaguer, he also played left field, right field, third base, and even caught in one game.[1]
Lis also played in Nippon Professional Baseball, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes, in 1978. He finished his baseball career with the Triple-A Champion, Evansville Triplets, in the 1979 season.[5]
Following his playing career, Lis coached youth baseball for over 30 years, including in the Newburgh American Legion from 1984 to 2002. In 2003, he became General Manager of the Evansville Wolfepack 18-year-old travel team. Lis also owned and operated the Joe Lis Baseball School since 1991, and worked at James R. Pyle Insurance Agency since 1989.[6]
Lis died from prostate cancer in Evansville, Indiana, at the age of 64, on October 17, 2010.[6]
^Joe Lis, Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed June 4, 2020. "Joe was born to Henry and Anna Lis on August 15, 1946, at Somerset Hospital in Somerville, New Jersey. The Lis family lived in the nearby blue-collar town of Manville, home of the Johns-Manville Corporation, a leading manufacturer of asbestos products.... When Joe turned 11, the family moved to Hillsborough Township, where he played in the local American Legion and Tri-State Leagues.... Hillsborough did not have its own high school, so township students went to Somerville High School."
