Burleigh Grimes

Infobox MLB retired
name=Burleigh Grimes
position=Pitcher


bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=August 18, 1893
city-state|Emerald|Wisconsin
deathdate=death date and age|1985|12|6|1893|8|18
city-state|Clear Lake|Wisconsin
debutdate= September 10
debutyear= 1916
debutteam= Pittsburgh Pirates
finaldate=September 20
finalyear=1934
finalteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
stat1label=Pitching Record
stat1value=270-212
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=3.53
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=1512
teams=As Player
* Pittsburgh Pirates (1916-1917, 1928-1929, 1934)
* Brooklyn Robins (1918-1926)
* New York Giants (1927)
* Boston Braves (1930)
* St. Louis Cardinals (1930-1931, 1933-1934)
* Chicago Cubs (1932-1933)
* New York Yankees (1934)As Manager
* Brooklyn Dodgers (1937-1938)
highlights=
*World Series champion: 1931
*National League pennant: 1920, 1930, 1932
* National League wins champion: 1921, 1928
* National League strikeout champion: 1921
* 3-time National League innings pitched leader
* 4-time National League complete game leader
* 5 20-win seasons
hofdate=by|1964
hofmethod=Veteran's Committee

Burleigh Arland Grimes (August 18 1893 – December 6 1985) was an American professional baseball player, and the last pitcher officially permitted to throw the spitball.

Nicknamed "Ol' Stubblebeard", Grimes was born in Emerald, Wisconsin. Burleigh made his professional debut in 1913 in Ottumwa, IA for the Ottumwa Packers in the Central Association. He made his major league debut on September 10, by|1916 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and in by|1920, when the spitball was banned, he was named as one of the 17 established pitchers who would be allowed to continue to throw the pitch. The 26 year old Grimes made the most of this advantage, and over the course of his 19-year career, won 270 games and pitched in four World Series. At the time of his retirement, he was the last of the 17 spitballers left in the league.

He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1916 - by|1917), the Brooklyn Dodgers (by|1918-by|1926), the New York Giants (by|1927), the Pirates again (by|1928-by|1929), the Boston Braves (by|1930), the St. Louis Cardinals (the rest of 1930 and by|1931), the Chicago Cubs (by|1932 and part of by|1933), the Cardinals again (the rest of 1933 and part of by|1934), the Pirates again (1934), and the New York Yankees (the last part of 1934).

According to "Baseball Digest," the Phillies were able to hit him because they knew when he was throwing the spitter. The Dodgers were mystified about this; first they thought the relative newcomer of a catcher, Hank DeBerry, was unwittingly giving away his signals to the pitcher, so they substituted veteran Zack Taylor, to no avail. They suggested that a spy with binoculars was concealed in the scoreboard in old Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, reading the signals from a distance, but the Phils hit Grimes just as well in Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. A batboy solved the mystery by pointing out that Burleigh's cap was too tight. It sounded silly, but he was right. The tighter cap would wiggle when Grimes flexed his facial muscles to prepare the spitter. He got a cap a half-size larger and the Phillies were on their own after that.Fact|date=February 2007

He was the manager of the Dodgers in 1937-38, compiling a two-year record of 131-171 (.434), with his teams finishing sixth and seventh respectively in the National League. He then remained in baseball for many years as a minor league manager and a scout. He managed the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League from 1942 to 1944, and again in 1952 and 1953, winning the pennant in 1943.

Grimes acquired a lasting field reputation for his temperament. He is listed in the "Baseball Hall of Shame" series for the act of throwing a ball at the batter in the on-deck circle. [Bruce Nash, "The Baseball Hall of Shame 2"] His friends and supporters note that he was consistently a kind man when off the diamond. Others claim he showed a greedy attittude to many people that 'got on his bad side.' He would mainly speak to only his best friend Ivy Olsen in the dugout, and would only pitch 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.'

Burleigh Grimes was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in by|1964. In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book "The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time".

He died in Clear Lake, Wisconsin at age of 92.

See also

* List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
* List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
* List of Major League Baseball wins champions
* MLB All-Time Hit Batsmen List

References

External links

*　
*
* [http://www.cmgworldwide.com/baseball/grimes/ cmgworldwide.com] Official websitesuccession box
title = National League Wins Champion
years = 1921 (with Wilbur Cooper)
1928 (with Larry Benton)
before = Grover Cleveland Alexander
Charley Root
after = Eppa Rixey
Pat Malone
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