Alexander, Grover Cleveland
Baseball
b. Feb. 16, 1887, St. Paul, NE
d. Nov. 4, 1950
A master of the curveball, "Old Pete" started his professional career in 1909 and arrived in the major leagues with the NL's Philadelphia Phillies in 1911, when he led the league with 31 complete games, 367 innings, 7 shutouts, and 28 victories against 13 losses.
After going 19-7 in 1912 and 22-8 in 1913, when he had a league-leading 9 shutouts, Alexander led the NL in victories four years in a row, with 27 in 1914, 31 in 1915, 33 in 1916, and 30 in 1917. He also led in complete games all four years, in shutouts with 12 in 1915, 16 in 1916, and 8 in 1917, and in ERA with 1.22 in 1915 and 1.55 in 1917.
Traded to the Cubs, Alexander spent most of the 1918 season in the Army. He lost the hearing in one ear because of shelling and he also developed epilepsy. When he returned after World War I, he began drinking heavily.
However, he led the league in ERA the next two years with 1.72 in 1919, when he was 16-11, and 1.91 in 1920, when he also led in victories with 27 against 14 losses.
Alexander's skills suddenly declined in 1921, probably because of his alcoholism, although he remained an above-average pitcher. He did have a 22-12 record for Chicago in 1923, but after the 1925 season he entered a sanatorium and in 1926 he was suspended by the Cubs and then waived to St. Louis.
The Cardinals won the pennant that season and Alexander became a World Series hero. He beat the New York Yankees 6-2 in the second game and 10-2 in the sixth. Dozing in the bullpen during the seventh inning of the final game, Alexander was awakened and told to warm up. He entered the game with St. Louis leading 3-2, the bases loaded, and two outs. He struck out the dangerous Tony Lazzeri on four pitches and pitched two more scoreless innings to get a save.
Alexander had one more fine year, going 21-10 in 1927, but he won just 25 games while losing 17 over the next two seasons and was 0-3 with the Phillies in 1930 before being released.
He spent four years with the barnstorming House of David team and for a time appeared in a Times Square side show. Epilepsy and alcohol continued to trouble him and he lost an ear to cancer shortly before his death.
Alexander won 373 games, tying him with Christy Mathewson for the NL career record, and lost 208. He holds league records for most complete games with 437 and shutouts with 90. He struck 2,198 hitters while walking only 951 in 5,189 innings.