37-661: Robert Moses " Lefty " Grove (March 6, 1900 – May 22, 1975) was an American professional baseball pitcher . After having success in the minor leagues during the early 1920s, Grove became a star in Major League Baseball with the American League 's Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox . One of the greatest pitchers in history, Grove led the American League in wins in four separate seasons, in strikeouts seven consecutive seasons, and had
74-795: A .954 fielding percentage . Grove was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947 . He died in Norwalk, Ohio , of a heart attack while watching a televised baseball game at his daughter-in-law's home on May 22, 1975. Grove was interred in Section 9, Lot 94, of the Frostburg Memorial Park Cemetery in Frostburg, Maryland . In 1969, Grove was voted the left-handed starting pitcher for Major League Baseball's 100th anniversary team. In 1999, Grove
111-575: A World Series game, having never done so before. In mid-September, with both league pennant races wrapped up, Mack had Ehmke leave the team and go on the road to scout the NL champion Cubs for the last few weeks of the season, telling him to be prepared to start game 1 of the World Series. Mack kept the pitching decision a secret until the day of the game. The Athletics had plenty of good pitchers available, and players on both teams were surprised that Ehmke
148-635: A black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. 1929 World Series The 1929 World Series featured the American League (AL) champion Philadelphia Athletics playing against the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs . The Athletics defeated
185-483: A doubleheader. Grove married his childhood sweetheart, Ethel Gardner, in 1921. They had two children, Robert and Doris. The couple would later divorce after Grove had an affair with another woman. Grove was elected to the town council in his native Lonaconing in the 1950s and also served as the town's police chief. During offseasons and after retiring, Grove operated a bowling alley in Lonaconing. Grove befriended
222-523: A good starting pitcher, but by 1929, he was suffering from a sore arm. Pitching only occasionally, he finished the regular season with a 7–2 record, a 3.29 earned run average, and 20 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. Meanwhile, the Athletics had a big lead in the AL standings. In August, Mack told Ehmke that he was going to be released after the season. Ehmke accepted the decision but said that he would like to pitch in
259-529: A major league draft . Since the reserve clause in all contracts was honored throughout organized baseball, this meant that Grove had no way to reach the majors until the Orioles became willing to trade or sell his contract. Knowing he had such a talented pitcher in Grove, Dunn kept his contract until 1925, when he finally agreed to sell Grove's rights to Connie Mack (1862–1956) and his Philadelphia Athletics in
296-438: A mark of 2.51. In 1927, Grove won 20 games for the first time, and a year later he tied George Pipgras for the AL lead in wins with 24. The Athletics won the AL pennant in three consecutive seasons (1929 to 1931), as well as consecutive World Series championships in 1929 and 1930 . During the Athletics' championship run, Grove led the way as the league's top pitcher, posting records of 20–6, 28–5 and 31–4. In 1931, Grove led
333-532: A nine-inning game. On December 12, 1933, team owner Connie Mack traded Grove, along with Max Bishop and Rube Walberg , to the Boston Red Sox for Bob Kline , Rabbit Warstler and $ 125,000. Grove was unable to contribute substantially during his first year in Boston, an arm injury holding him to an 8–8 record. In 1935, however, Grove returned to form with a 20–12 record and a league-leading 2.70 ERA. In
370-551: A risky move in Game ;4 by starting 46-year-old Jack Quinn . Unlike Ehmke, however, Quinn was no challenge to the Cubs' hitters, who scored seven runs off him before Mack pulled him in the sixth inning. Trailing 8–0, the Athletics then scored 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and won the game. In the middle of the rally that became known as the "Mack Attack", Cubs center fielder Hack Wilson lost Mule Haas 's fly ball in
407-472: A sandlot baseball team whose games he passed on the way home from MLB games, purchasing new jerseys and equipment for the team. He often donated equipment to local youth baseball players in his retirement. Grove retired in 1941 with a career record of 300–141. His .680 lifetime winning percentage is eighth all-time; however, none of the seven men ahead of him won more than 236 games. His lifetime ERA of 3.06, when normalized to overall league ERA and adjusted for
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#1732776703792444-415: Is based in Grove's hometown of Lonaconing, Maryland. The memorial was completed and opened to the public on June 22, 2019. Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in
481-589: Is usually thought to be the best left-handed pitcher in the history of the American League. Russo also writes, "Normalized for league average and adjusted for home park, his 3.06 ERA is quite simply the best in baseball history." At Game #4 of the 1972 World Series in Oakland, Grove threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The objective of the Lefty Grove Memorial Committee is to preserve the memory of Grove. The Lefty Grove Memorial committee
518-442: The American League for $ 100,600 (equivalent to $ 1.75 million in 2023), the highest amount ever paid for a player at the time. Grove battled injuries as a major league rookie and posted a 10–12 mark (which would prove his only losing record in 17 major league seasons). He led the league in strikeouts but posted a high 4.75 ERA. Grove then settled down in 1926 and won the first of a record nine earned run average (ERA) titles with
555-474: The Baltimore Orioles in 1920, while they were playing a half-century in the minor leagues of first the old Eastern League (1903–1914) and then after 1916, in the reorganized International League of AAA ball. Grove broke into the team's pitching rotation at midseason and had a 12–2 record the rest of the way. The Orioles were in the middle of winning six straight IL titles from 1919 to 1925. Over
592-764: The Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since the 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and
629-730: The Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues, the China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During
666-523: The United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in the other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with the advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are
703-430: The 1936 season, he had a 2.81 ERA (winning his seventh ERA title) while recording a 17–12 record and 130 strikeouts. Grove won his eighth ERA title a year later, while having a 17–9 record along with 153 strikeouts. He pitched 262 innings for the season; this was his 11th and final season where he pitched over 200 innings. Grove continued to post outstanding records, including 14–4 in 1938 and 15–4 in 1939, as well as leading
740-457: The AL in ERA four times between 1935 and 1939. He had a 7–6 record in 1940 while recording a 3.99 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 153.1 innings. In Grove's last season, he won and lost seven games, winning his 300th game on July 25 (giving up six runs on 12 hits, but winning 10–6), before losing his last three major league games, ending his career on September 28, pitching just one inning in the second game of
777-619: The Cubs in five games to win the Series. AL Philadelphia Athletics (4) vs. NL Chicago Cubs (1) This was the first World Series game ever played at Wrigley Field . Because seven of the eight regulars in the Cubs' lineup hit right-handed, Athletics manager Connie Mack started only right-handed pitchers during the series and kept all his left-handed pitchers in the bullpen, even though two of his best starters, Lefty Grove and Rube Walberg , were left-handed. The Athletics' Howard Ehmke , who started his major league career in 1915, had been
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#1732776703792814-513: The George's Creek Library in Lonaconing, Maryland . During the 1931 season, Grove tied Smokey Joe Wood 's and Walter Johnson 's AL record with 16 straight wins. He was attempting to win his 17th straight decision when a rookie outfielder filling in for Al Simmons , who had the day off, committed an error that led to the only run of the game. Grove stated, "After that game I went in and tore
851-559: The Martinsburg Mountaineers of the class-D Blue Ridge League , where he appeared in six games. In 59 innings pitched , Grove gave up just 30 hits , and he had an earned run average (ERA) of 1.68. His performance attracted the attention of Jack Dunn, Sr. (1872–1928), the manager/owner of the minor league Baltimore Orioles , who also discovered Babe Ruth . Dunn acquired Grove's services by giving Martinsburg enough cash to replace their center field wall. Grove joined
888-469: The United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ") is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of
925-569: The clubhouse up. Wrecked the place. Tore those stall lockers off the wall, giving Al Simmons hell all the while." He followed the loss with eight straight wins. The Athletics contended for the next two seasons, but finished second to the New York Yankees in 1932 and third behind the Washington Senators and Yankees in 1933. In 1933, Grove became the first player in Major League Baseball history to strike out five times in
962-484: The first player to homer in his first two World Series games. Al Simmons also homered and had four runs batted in. Game 3 was a pitchers' duel that featured many tense moments. Guy Bush won this game for the Cubs' only victory, holding the Athletics to one run despite allowing nine hits and two walks. Earnshaw started his second straight game for the Athletics and allowed only one earned run himself. Sticking to his right-handed-pitchers-only policy, Mack again made
999-594: The late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with the major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at
1036-461: The league in wins, ERA (2.06), strikeouts (175), winning percentage, complete games , and shutouts. His 2.06 ERA was 2.32 runs below the league average. He was also chosen as league MVP in 1931, making him one of only a handful of pitchers to achieve this honor. His MVP award is the only one not enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York , instead being housed at
1073-427: The league's lowest earned run average a record nine times. Over the course of the three years from 1929 to 1931, he twice won the pitcher's Triple Crown , leading the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA, while amassing a 79–15 record and leading the Athletics to three straight AL championships. Overall, Grove won 300 games in his 17-year MLB career. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947. Grove
1110-421: The most famous games in baseball history. Attending the game was nine-year-old John Paul Stevens , who would grow up to become a Supreme Court Justice . A lifelong Cubs fan, Stevens later said, "And that was my first game, a tragic game for a young boy to go and see in person!" Behind the pitching of George Earnshaw and Grove, the Athletics won 9–3 and took a 2–0 lead in the series. Jimmie Foxx became
1147-490: The next four seasons, Grove posted marks of 25–10, 18–8, 27–10 and 26–6, leading the International League in strikeouts each season. Grove remained in the minor leagues through 1924, as owner Jack Dunn refused several offers from the majors to acquire him. At the time, the Orioles were an independent operation with no major league affiliation and the International League had declared its players not subject to
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1184-471: The oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in
1221-442: The parks in which Grove played during his career, is fifth all-time among pitchers with at least 1,000 innings pitched (behind Mariano Rivera , Clayton Kershaw , Jim Devlin , and Pedro Martínez ) at 48 percent better than average. As a hitter, Grove posted a .148 batting average (202-for-1,369) with 119 runs , 15 home runs , 121 RBI and 105 bases on balls . From 1929 through 1932, Grove had 56 RBI. Defensively, he recorded
1258-456: The sun, and Haas circled the bases for a three-run inside-the-park home run , bringing the Athletics to within a run at 8–7. This was the last inside-the-park home run in a World Series game until Game 1 of the 2015 World Series . The eight-run deficit overcome by the Athletics is still the largest in postseason history. Art Nehf 's relief pitching appearance in this game was his last in the major leagues. Mack gave Ehmke his second start of
1295-470: Was born in Lonaconing, Maryland , one of eight children of John Robert Grove (1865–1957) and Emma Catherine Beeman (1872–1959). His father and brothers mined coal . Grove was a sandlot star in the Baltimore area during the 1910s. He did not play organized baseball until he was 19 years old. Grove purportedly gained the ability to throw hard by hurling rocks. In 1920, he made his professional debut with
1332-563: Was ranked number 23 on The Sporting News list of Baseball's Greatest Players. He ranked second, behind only Warren Spahn , among left-handed pitchers. That year, he was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team . In the 2001 book The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract , Bill James ranked Grove as the 19th best baseball player of all time and the second-best MLB pitcher of all time. According to baseball historian Frank Russo, Grove
1369-408: Was starting. However, with his knowledge of the Cubs' batters and a rested arm, Ehmke pitched a complete game, winning 3–1 with no earned runs allowed and 13 strikeouts. The strikeout total broke the World Series record that had been set by Ed Walsh in 1906; Ehmke's record then stood until it was broken by Carl Erskine in 1953. This ended up being the last win of Ehmke's career and also became one of
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