Burleigh Grimes

Played For
Pittsburgh Pirates (1916-1917)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1921-1926)
New York Giants (1927)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1928-1929)
Boston Braves (1930)
St. Louis Cardinals (1930-1931)
Chicago Cubs (1932-1933)
St. Louis Cardinals (1933-1934)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1934)
New York Yankees (1934)

Managed
Brooklyn Dodgers (1937-1938)

Minor League Experience
Grimes was 23 years old before he made it to the big leagues, but there's evidence that he was a good enough pitcher to make it long before that. In 1914 he pitched well in his first taste of professional ball but broke his leg in the off-season and was lost for all of the next year. In 1916 he started the season with Birmingham of the Southern Association, and for a three-week stretch he was practically un-hittable. Over a six-game stretch in late July and early August, Grimes gave up just 18 hits in 56 innings. In five of those games he lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning. He posted a 23-11 record for Birmingham, before signing with Brooklyn and making his major league debut on September 10.

Best Season: 1928
Grimes led the league in wins with 25, finished third in MVP voting, and paced the loop in games, innings, complete games and shutouts (four). He also hit .321 with eight doubles.

Factoids
In 1921, Burleigh Grimes led the National League with 22 wins, but was paid the modest sum of $1,960 by Brooklyn.

In a 1925 game, Burleigh Grimes grounded into two double plays and a triple play in a loss to the Cubs. In his three hitless at-bats, he accounted for seven outs.

Burleigh Grimes played with nearly every National League Hall of Famer of his era, and there were a lot of them. He was a teammate of four Hall of Fame first basemen.

The Frisch Feud
Grimes first few seasons in the majors were difficult. "Trouble with me was that I came into the majors a marked man. During four seasons in the minors I'd become known as a kid who'd fight at the drop of a hat. So guys I'd never seen were laying for me. And before I'd made my first swing around the league I was engaged in feuds which lasted for years."

Part of the reason Grimes entered the league with an ornery reputation was that he'd played for Kid Elberfeld at Chattanooga. Nicknamed the "Tabasco Kid" due to his grumpy nature, Elberfeld bred a fiery group of ballplayers, who weren't afraid to confront umpires nose-to-nose. Grimes brought that reputation with him to the major leagues, and it never left him.

Grimes longest running and most famous feud was with Frankie Frisch. In 1919, Frisch put down a bunt and apparently spiked Grimes on a close play at first base. Words turned to shoves and fists, and the battle was on. "For the next ten years I aimed at least two balls at Frankie every time I pitched to him. He was equally rough with me every time we came in contact on the base lines," Grimes said.

The feud didn't last forever however, and the two future Hall of Famers eventually buried the hatchet when they became teammates on the Cardinals. "First thing you know we were bosom pals and we've been ever since," Grimes recalled years later.

Burleigh and Jack
Grimes shares some characteristics with the pitcher of the 1980s, Jack Morris. Both led MLB in wins and almost every other pitching stat for their decade (Grimes in the 1920s). Yet, both posted higher ERA's than other pitchers of their era. Consequently both are underrated.

Grimes was the workhorse of baseball in the 1920s, leading all pitchers in games started (336), wins (190), complete games (234) and innings (2,798). His ERA for the decade was 3.52, below the league average of 3.92. Morris also led MLB in games started, wins, complete games and innings in the 1980s. The Tiger ace posted a 3.66 ERA in the 1980s, while the league came in at 4.07.

Both Grimes and Morris were clearly the most durable and prolific winners of their era, but their ERA, which was 10-12% better than league norms, caused them to receive less acclaim than might be expected from such pitchers. Incidentally, neither was ever regarded as the best pitcher in their own league for one particular season. Morris never won a Cy Young Award, and there was usually one or two pitchers who bested Grimes each season (there was no such award in his time).

Annual Holdout
Like many players of his era, Grimes had a habit of holding out for more money. Owners in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s rarely handed out money, and often asked players to take pay cuts. On more than one occasion, Grimes' salary demands prompted his trade or sale to other teams. After winning a career-high 25 games for the Pirates in 1928, Grimes was traded to the Braves after he demanded more money from Pittsburgh. Before he could finish that season he was dealt to the Cardinals, who didn't care how much money he wanted, just that he was a veteran pitcher for their stretch run.

Using the "Spitter"
On July 21, 1940, Grimes, manager of Grand Rapids in the Michigan State League, was involved in a controversial incident on the field. Home plate umpire Robert Williams and Grimes were engaged in a shouting match over a close call, when Grimes, according to Williams, spit in the umpire's face. The ex-pitcher was ejected and suspended by the league for a full season. After several months of testimony and investigation by the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (and some intervention by MLB Commish Landis), Grimes penalty was reduced to the remainder of the 1940 season.

Where He Played
Starting pitcher

Born
Burleigh Arland Grimes was born on August 18, 1893, in Emerald, WI.

Died
December 6, 1985, Clear Lake, WI

Batted:  Right
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  P

Primary Team:  BRO

Major League Debut
September 10, 1916

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1916
Charlie Grimm
Carson Bigbee
Whitey Witt
Greasy Neale
Burleigh Grimes
Urban Shocker
Val Picinich
George Harper
Patsy Gharrity

Nicknames
Ol' Stubblebeard

"Boily" and "Ol' Stubblebeard"

Uniform Numbers
#16 (1932), #21 (1933 Cubs), #20 (1933-1934 Cardinals), #20 (1934 Yankees)

Similar Players
Red Faber, Early Wynn, Jack Morris (see below).

Related Players
Frankie Frisch

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1937 BBWAA 1 .5% 1938 BBWAA 1 .4% 1939 BBWAA 1 .4% 1948 BBWAA 7 5.8% 1949 BBWAA 8 5.2% 1950 BBWAA 6 3.6% 1951 BBWAA 5 2.2% 1952 BBWAA 9 3.8% 1953 BBWAA 9 3.4% 1955 BBWAA 3 1.2% 1956 BBWAA 25 13.0% 1958 BBWAA 71 26.7% 1960 BBWAA 92 34.2% 1962 BBWAA 43 26.9% 1964 Veterans %

Post-Season Appearances
1920 World Series
1930 World Series
1931 World Series
1932 World Series

Post-Season Notes
Burleigh Grimes pitched the 1931 World Series with his swollen appendix frozen to numb the pain. After the Series, which the Cardinals won thanks to his 8 2/3 innings in Game Seven, Grimes' appendix was removed.

Pitching Feats

• , 1927: ...

Transactions
January 9, 1918: Traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates with Al Mamaux and Chuck Ward to the Brooklyn Robins for Casey Stengel and George Cutshaw; January 9, 1927: Traded as part of a 3-team trade by the Brooklyn Robins to the New York Giants. The New York Giants sent Jack Scott and Fresco Thompson to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Philadelphia Phillies sent George Harper to the New York Giants. The Philadelphia Phillies sent Butch Henline to the Brooklyn Robins; February 11, 1928: Traded by the New York Giants to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Vic Aldridge; April 9, 1930: Traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Boston Braves for Percy Jones and cash; June 16, 1930: Traded by the Boston Braves to the St. Louis Cardinals for Fred Frankhouse and Bill Sherdel; December, 1931: Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Chicago Cubs for Bud Teachout and Hack Wilson; August 4, 1933: Selected off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals from the Chicago Cubs; May 15, 1934: Selected off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates from the St. Louis Cardinals; May 26, 1934: Purchased by the New York Yankees from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Hall of Fame Artifacts
A license plate bearing his initials and his career win total.

Best Strength as a Player
Grimes surrendered few home runs, keeping the ball in the field of play.

Largest Weakness as a Player
Grimes was inconsistent, despite his durability. His ERA+ scores for one stretch were 138, 85, 108, 98, 83, 103, 109.

Learn More about Burleigh Grimes
Search Amazon.com for Books about Burleigh Grimes ⇒
Search for Burleigh Grimes at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒