Grove, "Lefty" (Robert M.)
Baseball
b. March 6, 1900, Lonaconing, MD
d. May 22, 1975
Grove got to the major leagues late in life because he didn't enter professional baseball until he was twenty, and then he spent 41/2 years as the property of the minor-league Baltimore Orioles, where he won 109 games while losing only 36.
Baltimore finally sold him in 1925 to the AL's Philadelphia Athletics for $100,600, $600 more than the Red Sox had paid Baltimore for Babe Ruth. After a slow start because he had trouble controlling his outstanding fastball, Grove won 20 or more games seven consecutive seasons, from 1927 through 1933.
Despite the early control problems, Grove led the AL in strikeouts the first seven years he was with Philadelphia, from 1925 through 1931. He led in victories with 24 in 1928, 28 in 1930, 31 in 1931, and 24 in 1933; in ERA with 2.51 in 1926, 2.81 in 1929, 2.54 in 1930, 2.06 in 1931 and 2.84 in 1932; and in shutouts with 4 each in 1931 and 1932.
Although he was primarily a starting pitcher, Grove was also excellent in relief when he had to be. In 1930, when he started 32 games and had 22 complete games, he actually led the AL with 9 saves.
The Athletics won three consecutive pennants, from 1929 through 1931, and he was the league's most valuable player in 1931. He picked up 2 saves in their 5-game win over the Chicago Cubs in the 1929 World Series and had a 2-1 record with a 1.42 ERA in their 6-game win over the St. Louis Cardinals in 1932. Grove was 2-1 again with a 2.42 ERA in 1931, when Philadelphia lost to the Cardinals in 7 games.
Losing money during the depression, the Athletics traded Grove to the Boston Red Sox in 1934. Arm trouble limited him to an 8-8 record that season. His fastball was no longer the same, but a good curve and his knowledge of how to pitch to hitters made him an effective pitcher for another 5 seasons, during which he led the league in ERA 4 times, with 2.70 in 1935, 2.81 in 1936, 3.08 in 1938, and 2.54 in 1939. He was also the league leader in shutouts with 6 in 1936 and in winning percentage at .789 in 1939, when he had a 15-4 record.
Grove struggled during his last two seasons with the Red Sox, but he won 7 games in 1940 and in 1941 to reach the 300 mark, the 11th pitcher to do, before retiring.
During his 17 seasons, he had a 300-141 record with 35 shutouts and a 3.40 ERA. He struck out 2,266 hitters and walked 1,187 in 3,940 2/3 innings.