| Burleigh Grimes | |
|---|---|
 Grimes,c. 1916 | |
| Pitcher /Manager | |
| Born:(1893-08-18)August 18, 1893 Emerald, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
| Died: December 6, 1985(1985-12-06) (aged 92) Clear Lake, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 10, 1916, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 20, 1934, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 270–212 |
| Earned run average | 3.53 |
| Strikeouts | 1,512 |
| Managerial record | 131–171 |
| Winning % | .434 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Managerial record at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As player
As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1964 |
| Election method | Veterans Committee |
Burleigh Arland Grimes (August 18, 1893 – December 6, 1985) was an American professionalbaseball player andmanager, and the lastpitcher officially permitted to throw thespitball.[1][2][3] Grimes made the most of this advantage, as well as his unshaven, menacing presence on the mound, which earned him the nickname "Ol' Stubblebeard."[4] In his career, Grimes won 270 games, with 190 of them occurring in the 1920s, the most for all pitchers in the decade.[5] He pitched in theWorld Series four times in his nineteen-season career and was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in1964.[6] A decade earlier, he had been inducted into theWisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame.
Born inEmerald, Wisconsin, Grimes was the first child of Cecil "Nick" Grimes, a farmer and former day laborer, and Ruth Tuttle, the daughter of a former Wisconsin legislator. Having previously played baseball for several local teams, Nick Grimes managed the Clear Lake Yellow Jackets and taught his son how to play the game early in life.[7] Burleigh Grimes also participated in boxing as a child.[8]
Grimes threw and batted right-handed, and was listed as 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and 175 pounds (79 kg). He made his professional debut in 1912 for theEau Claire Commissioners of theMinnesota–Wisconsin League.[9][10] From almost the beginning of his career, he threw aspitball, using slippery elm to alter the baseball's face.[9] He played inOttumwa, Iowa, in 1913 for theOttumwa Packers in theCentral Association.
Grimes played for thePittsburgh Pirates in 1916 and1917. In 1917, he lost 13 straight decisions.[9] Before the 1918 season, he was sent to theBrooklyn Dodgers in a multiplayer trade.[11] When the spitball was banned in 1920, he was named as one of 17 established pitchers who were allowed to continue to throw the pitch. According toBaseball Digest, thePhillies were able to hit him because they knew when he was throwing the spitter.
He then pitched for theNew York Giants (1927), the Pirates again (1928–1929), theBoston Braves (1930) and theSt. Louis Cardinals (1930-1931). With the Pirates in 1928, he posted a 25–14 record, posting the most wins, complete games, shutouts, and innings pitched of any NL pitcher.[12] In the1931 World Series, despite suffering a dislocated vertebra before Game 7, Grimes pitched8+1⁄3 innings, earning the final win in the Cardinals' series victory.[12] He was traded to theChicago Cubs before the 1932 season in exchange forHack Wilson andBud Teachout.[13] He returned to the Cardinals in 1933 and1934, then moved to the Pirates (1934) and theNew York Yankees (1934). Grimes was nicknamed "Ol' Stubblebeard", related to his habit of not shaving on days in which he was going to pitch.[14]
Grimes was a very good hitting pitcher in his major league career, posting a .248batting average (380-for-1535) with 157runs, 62doubles, 11triples, 2home runs and 168RBI. He also drew 69bases on balls. He had nine seasons with 10 or more RBIs, with a high of 16 in 1920 and 1928. In four World Series appearances (1920, 1930–1932) he hit .316 (6-for-19) with 1 run and 2 RBI.
At the time of his retirement, he was the last player who was legally allowed to throw a spitball, as he was one of 17 spitballers permitted to throw the pitch after it was otherwise outlawed in 1920.[9] Baseball historian Frank Russo called him "baseball's most aggressive spitballer".[12] Grimes had acquired a lasting field reputation for his temperament. He was known for wanting to win in any way possible.[9] Prior to a game against the Giants late in 1924, Grimes organized a team meeting and said, "Anyone who doesn't want to play today's game to win, let me know right now."[15] Then, on his first pitch, he knocked down a Giant.[12] He is listed in theBaseball Hall of Shame series for having thrown a ball at the batter in the on-deck circle.[16] The only two batters Grimes apparently could not intimidate were Hall of FamersFrankie Frisch andPaul Waner. If Grimes threw a close pitch to them, the batters usually followed it up with a hard-hitline drive.[12] Grimes's friends and supporters note that he was consistently a kind man when off the diamond. Others claim he showed a greedy attitude to many people who 'got on his bad side.' He would speak mainly only to his best friendIvy Olson in the dugout, and would pitch only to a man named Mathias Schroeder before games. Schroeder's identity was not well known among many Dodger players, as many say he was just 'a nice guy from the neighborhood.' Dodger managerWilbert Robinson did not get along well with Grimes, using a clubhouse attendant to tell Grimes when he pitched so that he could talk to Grimes as little as possible.[12]
Grimes had a total of 36 Major League teammates who would later be elected to the Hall of Fame. No other Hall of Famer had more Hall of Fame teammates.[17]
Grimes moved to the minor leagues in 1935 as aplayer-manager for theBloomington Bloomers of theIllinois–Indiana–Iowa League. He started 21 games for the team, recording a 2.34 ERA and a 10–5 record.[18] He did not pitch again after that season, moving on to manage theLouisville Colonels of theAmerican Association.[18]
Grimes was themanager of the Dodgers in 1937–38. He followedCasey Stengel's term as Dodgers manager.[19] He compiled a two-year record of 131-171 (.434), with his teams finishing sixth and seventh respectively in theNational League.Babe Ruth was one of Grimes's coaches.Leo Durocher was the team's shortstop in 1937 and a coach in 1938.[20] When Grimes was fired by general managerLarry MacPhail after the 1938 season, Durocher was hired to replace him. MacPhail said the team's morale had not been right for a long period of time.[21]
Grimes remained in baseball for many years as a minor league manager and ascout. He scouted for the Yankees, Athletics, and Orioles.[12]
He managed theToronto Maple Leafs of theInternational League from 1942 to 1944, and again in 1952 and 1953, winning the pennant in 1943.
As a scout with theBaltimore Orioles, Grimes discoveredJim Palmer andDave McNally.[20]
Grimes also assisted in managing theIndependence Yankees inIndependence, Kansas in 1948 and 1949, whereMickey Mantle started his professional career in 1949.[22]
Grimes was elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame in1964.
Grimes died following a protracted battle with cancer at age 92 on December 6, 1985, inClear Lake, Wisconsin.[12] His wife Lillian survived him.[19] He is buried in the Clear Lake Cemetery.[12]
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