View source for Burleigh Grimes

{{Short description|American baseball player and manager (1893–1985)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Burleigh Grimes
|position=[[Pitcher]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|image=Burleigh Grimes.jpg
|image_size = 220
|caption = Grimes, {{c.|1916}}
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{birth date|1893|8|18}}
|birth_place=[[Emerald, Wisconsin]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1985|12|6|1893|8|18}}
|death_place=[[Clear Lake, Wisconsin]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 10 
|debutyear=1916
|debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 20
|finalyear=1934
|finalteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=270–212
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=3.53
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=1,512
|stat4label=Managerial record
|stat4value=131–171
|stat5label=Winning %
|stat5value=.434
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{Baseball year|1916}}–{{Baseball year|1917}})
* [[Brooklyn Robins]] ({{Baseball year|1918}}–{{Baseball year|1926}})
* [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] ({{Baseball year|1927}})
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{Baseball year|1928}}–{{Baseball year|1929}})
* [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]] ({{Baseball year|1930}})
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{Baseball year|1930}}–{{Baseball year|1931}})
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{Baseball year|1932}}–{{Baseball year|1933}})
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{Baseball year|1933}}–{{Baseball year|1934}})
* [[New York Yankees]] ({{Baseball year|1934}})
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{Baseball year|1934}})
'''As manager'''
* [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] ({{Baseball year|1937}}–{{Baseball year|1938}})
|highlights=
* [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1931}})
* 2× [[List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders|NL wins leader]] (1921, 1928)
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders|NL strikeout leader]] (1921)
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate=[[1964 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1964]]
|hofmethod=Veterans Committee
}}

'''Burleigh Arland Grimes''' (August 18, 1893 – December 6, 1985) was an American professional [[baseball]] player and [[manager (baseball)|manager]], and the last [[pitcher]] officially permitted to throw the [[spitball]].<ref name=gshwmn>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1931/09/18/page/27/article/grimes-says-hes-woodsman-others-say-hes-great-hurler |work=Chicago Daily Tribune|last=Burns |first=Edward |title=Grimes says he's woodsman; others say he's great hurler |date=September 18, 1931 |page=27}}</ref><ref name=infmsspttr>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1967/07/31/609382/the-infamous-spitter |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Weiskopf |first=Herman |title=The Infamous Spitter |date=July 31, 1967 |page=12}}</ref><ref name=trxotrd>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1981/04/13/825541/tricks-of-the-trade-loaded-bats-phantom-dps-and-balls-doctored-with-everything-from-flour-to-fly-line-cleaner-may-be-illegit-but-theyre-as-much-a-part-of-the-grand-old-game-as-well-the-spitter |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Wolf |first=Steve |title=Tricks of the Trade |date=April 13, 1981 |page=92}}</ref> Grimes made the most of this advantage, as well as his unshaven, menacing presence on the mound, which earned him the nickname "'''Ol' Stubblebeard'''."<ref>[https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/burleigh-grimes/ Faber, Charles F., ''Burleigh Grimes,''] [[Society for American Baseball Research]] Biography Project</ref> In his career, Grimes won 270 games, with 190 of them occurring in the 1920s, the most for all pitchers in the decade.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stathead.com/tiny/GAQMP|website=Stathead|title=For combined seasons, from 1920 to 1929, in the regular season, sorted by descending Wins.}}</ref> He pitched in the [[World Series]] four times in his nineteen-season career and was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[1964 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1964]].<ref name=ppg16lgsplr>{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2016/04/03/The-last-great-spitballer/stories/201604030056 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |last=Guzzardi |first=Joe |title=Burleigh Grimes, the last great spit-baller |date=April 3, 2016 |access-date=March 7, 2017}}</ref>   A decade earlier, he had been inducted into the [[Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame]].

==Early life==
Born in [[Emerald, 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.<ref>Niese, p. 10.</ref> Burleigh Grimes also participated in boxing as a child.<ref>Niese, p. 12.</ref>

Grimes threw and batted right-handed, and was listed as {{convert|5|ft|10|in}} tall and {{convert|175|lb}}. He made his professional debut in 1912 for the [[Eau Claire Commissioners]] of the [[Minnesota–Wisconsin League]].<ref name="Russo 147"/><ref>Christofferson, Jason. ''Diamonds in Clear Water: Professional Baseball in Eau Claire, 1886–1912''. Self-published. 2013. p.143-155.</ref> From almost the beginning of his career, he threw a [[spitball]], using slippery elm to alter the baseball's face.<ref name="Russo 147"/> He played in [[Ottumwa, Iowa]], in 1913 for the [[Ottumwa Packers]] in the [[Central Association]].

==MLB career==
[[File:BurleighGrimesGoudeycard.jpg|thumb|200px|Baseball card of Grimes]]
Grimes played for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] in 1916 and {{Baseball year|1917}}. In 1917, he lost 13 straight decisions.<ref name="Russo 147"/> Before the 1918 season, he was sent to the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] in a multiplayer trade.<ref name=Trade>{{cite news|title=Robins give Pirates two players for three in big trade; Mamaux obtained by Robins in deal|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1918/01/10/archives/robins-give-pirates-two-players-for-three-in-big-trade-mamaux.html|access-date=November 2, 2014|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 10, 1918}}</ref> 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 to ''[[Baseball Digest]]'', the [[Philadelphia Phillies|Phillies]] were able to hit him because they knew when he was throwing the spitter.

He then pitched for the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] ({{Baseball year|1927}}), the Pirates again ({{Baseball year|1928}}–{{Baseball year|1929}}), the [[Boston Braves (baseball)|Boston Braves]] ({{Baseball year|1930}}) and the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] (1930-{{Baseball year|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.<ref name="Russo 148"/> In the [[1931 World Series]], despite suffering a dislocated vertebra before Game 7, Grimes pitched {{frac|8|1|3}} innings, earning the final win in the Cardinals' series victory.<ref name="Russo 148"/> He was traded to the [[Chicago Cubs]] before the 1932 season in exchange for [[Hack Wilson]] and [[Bud Teachout]].<ref name=Snyder>{{cite book|last1=Snyder|first1=John|title=Cardinals Journal: Year by Year and Day by Day with the St. Louis Cardinals Since 1882|date=2010|publisher=Clerisy Press|isbn=978-1578604807|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iUDCkwoHsYkC&pg=PA248|access-date=November 2, 2014}}</ref> He returned to the Cardinals in 1933 and {{Baseball year|1934}}, then moved to the Pirates (1934) and the [[New York Yankees]] (1934). Grimes was nicknamed "Ol' Stubblebeard", related to his habit of not shaving on days in which he was going to pitch.<ref name=HOF>{{cite web|title=Grimes, Burleigh|url=http://baseballhall.org/hof/Grimes-Burleigh|publisher=[[Baseball Hall of Fame]]|access-date=November 1, 2014}}</ref>

Grimes was a very good hitting pitcher in his major league career, posting a .248 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] (380-for-1535) with 157 [[run (baseball)|runs]], 62 [[double (baseball)|doubles]], 11 [[triple (baseball)|triples]], 2 [[home runs]] and 168 [[Run batted in|RBI]]. He also drew 69 [[bases 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.<ref name="Russo 147">Russo, p. 147</ref> Baseball historian Frank Russo called him "baseball's most aggressive spitballer".<ref name="Russo 148"/> Grimes had acquired a lasting field reputation for his temperament. He was known for wanting to win in any way possible.<ref name="Russo 147"/> 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."<ref>Russo, p. 147-48</ref> Then, on his first pitch, he knocked down a Giant.<ref name="Russo 148">Russo, p. 148</ref> He is listed in the ''Baseball Hall of Shame'' series for having thrown a ball at the batter in the on-deck circle.<ref>Bruce Nash, ''The Baseball Hall of Shame 2''</ref> The only two batters Grimes apparently could not intimidate were Hall of Famers [[Frankie Frisch]] and [[Paul Waner]]. If Grimes threw a close pitch to them, the batters usually followed it up with a hard-hit [[line drive]].<ref name="Russo 148"/> 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 friend [[Ivy 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 manager [[Wilbert 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.<ref name="Russo 148"/>

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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stark |first1=Jayson |title=Three Strikes: A whole lot more of Rickey |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/jayson-stark/post/_/id/374/whole-lot-more-rickey |access-date=16 September 2019 |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=January 15, 2009}}</ref>

==Post-playing career==
Grimes moved to the minor leagues in 1935 as a [[player-manager (baseball)|player-manager]] for the [[Bloomington Bloomers]] of the [[Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League]]. He started 21 games for the team, recording a 2.34 ERA and a 10–5 record.<ref name=BRMinors>{{cite web|title=Burleigh Grimes Minor League Statistics & History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=grimes001bur|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=December 4, 2014}}</ref> He did not pitch again after that season, moving on to manage the [[Louisville Colonels (minor league baseball)|Louisville Colonels]] of the [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]].<ref name=BRMinors/>

Grimes was the [[manager (baseball)|manager]] of the Dodgers in 1937–38. He followed [[Casey Stengel]]'s term as Dodgers manager.<ref name=Yannis/> He compiled a two-year record of 131-171 (.434), with his teams finishing sixth and seventh respectively in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]. [[Babe Ruth]] was one of Grimes's coaches. [[Leo Durocher]] was the team's shortstop in 1937 and a coach in 1938.<ref name=Sentinel/> When Grimes was fired by general manager [[Larry 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.<ref name=PP>{{cite news|title="Lippy" peps up Dodgers|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19381013&id=cl8qAAAAIBAJ&sjid=K0wEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2304,4501027|access-date=December 4, 2014|work=[[Pittsburgh Press]]|date=October 13, 1938}}</ref>

Grimes remained in baseball for many years as a minor league manager and a [[scout (sport)|scout]]. He scouted for the Yankees, Athletics, and Orioles.<ref name="Russo 148"/>

He managed the [[Toronto Maple Leafs (International League)|Toronto Maple Leafs]] of the [[International League]] from 1942 to 1944, and again in 1952 and 1953, winning the pennant in 1943.

As a scout with the [[Baltimore Orioles]], Grimes discovered [[Jim Palmer]] and [[Dave McNally]].<ref name=Sentinel>{{cite news|title=Grimes back at "home"|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19720204&id=QZlRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EBEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7083,1518465|access-date=December 4, 2014|work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|Milwaukee Sentinel]]|date=February 4, 1972}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Grimes also assisted in managing the [[Independence Yankees]] in [[Independence, Kansas]] in 1948 and 1949, where [[Mickey Mantle]] started his professional career in 1949.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Niese|first1=Joe|title=Burleigh Grimes: Baseball's Last Legal Spitballer|date=2013|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=978-1-4766-0179-3}}</ref>

==Later life==
Grimes was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] in {{Baseball year|1964}}.

Grimes died following a protracted battle with cancer at age 92 on December 6, 1985, in [[Clear Lake, Wisconsin]].<ref name="Russo 148"/> His wife Lillian survived him.<ref name=Yannis>{{cite news|last1=Yannis|first1=Alex|title=Burleigh Grimes, ex-pitcher and Hall of Fame member|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/10/sports/burleigh-grimes-ex-pitcher-and-hall-of-fame-member.html|access-date=November 1, 2014|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 10, 1985}}</ref> He is buried in the Clear Lake Cemetery.<ref name="Russo 148"/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Baseball}}
* [[List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual strikeout leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders]]
* [[List of members of the Baseball Hall of Fame]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career hit batsmen leaders]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
*Niese, Joe (2013). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=6QKTmVNGltIC Burleigh Grimes: Baseball's Last Legal Spitballer]''. McFarland. {{ISBN|0786473282}}.
*{{cite book|last=Russo|first=Frank|title=The Cooperstown Chronicles: Baseball's Colorful Characters, Unusual Lives, and Strange Demises|location=New York|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2014|isbn=978-1-4422-3639-4}}

==External links==
*{{bbhof|grimes-burleigh}}
*{{baseballstats|mlb=115162|espn=|br=g/grimebu01|fangraphs=1005061|brm=grimes001bur|retro=G/Pgrimb101}}　
*{{baseball-reference manager|grimebu01}}
*[http://www.cmgww.com/baseball/grimes/ cmgworldwide.com] Official website
*{{Find a Grave}}
*[https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/burleigh-grimes-oral-history-interview-1983-july-30-0 Burleigh Grimes Oral History Interview (1 of 2) - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703130434/https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/burleigh-grimes-oral-history-interview-1983-july-30-0 |date=2019-07-03 }}
*[https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/burleigh-grimes-oral-history-interview-1983-july-30-3 Burleigh Grimes Oral History Interview (2 of 2) - National Baseball Hall of Fame Digital Collection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703130433/https://collection.baseballhall.org/PASTIME/burleigh-grimes-oral-history-interview-1983-july-30-3 |date=2019-07-03 }}

{{1964 Baseball HOF}}
{{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}
{{St. Louis Cardinals HOF}}
{{1931 St. Louis Cardinals}}
{{Pittsburgh Pirates Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{NL wins champions}}
{{NL strikeout champions}}
{{Los Angeles Dodgers HOF}}
{{Los Angeles Dodgers managers|width=100}}
{{New York Yankees HOF}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimes, Burleigh}}
[[Category:1893 births]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:Baltimore Orioles scouts]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Birmingham Barons players]]
[[Category:Bloomington Bloomers players]]
[[Category:Boston Braves players]]
[[Category:Brooklyn Dodgers managers]]
[[Category:Brooklyn Robins players]]
[[Category:Chattanooga Lookouts players]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs players]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Eau Claire Commissioners players]]
[[Category:Kansas City Athletics coaches]]
[[Category:Kansas City Athletics scouts]]
[[Category:Kansas City Blues (baseball) managers]]
[[Category:Louisville Colonels (minor league) managers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitching coaches]]
[[Category:Montreal Royals managers]]
[[Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:National League strikeout champions]]
[[Category:National League (baseball) wins champions]]
[[Category:New York Giants (baseball) players]]
[[Category:New York Yankees players]]
[[Category:New York Yankees scouts]]
[[Category:Ottumwa Packers players]]
[[Category:People from Polk County, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from St. Croix County, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players]]
[[Category:Richmond Colts players]]
[[Category:Rochester Red Wings managers]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals players]]
[[Category:Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) managers]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]