Mudcat Grant
Encyclopedia
James Timothy "Mudcat" Grant (born August 13, 1935 in Lacoochee, Florida
) is a former Major League Baseball
pitcher
who played for the Cleveland Indians
(1958–64), Minnesota Twins
(1964–67), Los Angeles Dodgers
(1968), Montreal Expos
(1969), St. Louis Cardinals
(1969), Oakland Athletics
(1970 and 1971) and Pittsburgh Pirates
(1970–71). He was named to the 1963 and 1965 American League All-Star Teams.
Grant signed with the Cleveland Indians
in 1954 as an amateur free agent and made his big league debut with the Indians in 1958. His best season in Cleveland was in 1961 when he had a won-loss record of 15-9 and a 3.86 earned run average
. In June 1964, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins
and had a record of 11-9 for the remainder of the season. In 1965 Grant had the best year of his career. He was 21-7 for the Twins, helping to lead the team to the 1965 World Series
against the Los Angeles Dodgers
.
He finished 6th in voting for the 1965 American League MVP for leading the League in Wins, Won-Loss % (.750), Shutouts (6) and Home Runs Allowed (34). He also started 39 Games, had 14 Complete Games, 270 ⅓ Innings Pitched, 252 Hits Allowed, 107 Runs Allowed, 99 Earned Runs Allowed, 61 Walks, 142 Strikeouts, 8 Wild Pitches, 1,095 Batters Faced, 2 Intentional Walks and a 3.30 ERA. Grant's home run in the 6th game of the 1965 World Series
was only the second by an American League
pitcher during a World Series game.
1966 was Grant's last year as a full-time starting pitcher. He spent his next five seasons in baseball as a reliever and occasional starter for five different big league clubs. He currently ranks 46th on the MLB Career Home Runs Allowed List (292).
In 14 years, he had a 145-119 Win-Loss record, 571 Games, 293 Games Started, 89 Complete Games, 18 Shutouts, 160 Games Finished, 53 Saves, 2,442 Innings Pitched, 2,292 Hits Allowed, 1,105 Runs Allowed, 985 Earned Runs Allowed, 292 Home Runs Allowed, 849 Walks, 1,267 Strikeouts, 33 Hit Batsmen, 60 Wild Pitches, 10,293 Batters Faced, 59 Intentional Walks, 3 Balks and a 3.63 ERA. Grant's home run during Game 6 of the 1965 World Series
was the only one he hit that season and one of only seven he hit in his entire career.
After his playing career ended, Grant worked for the North American Softball League, one of three professional softball leagues active in the pro softball era. He later worked as a broadcaster and executive for the Indians, and also as a broadcaster for the Athletics.
In recent years, Grant has dedicated himself to studying and promoting the history of blacks
in baseball. On his official website, Grant pays tribute to the thirteen black pitchers (including himself) who have won 20 games in a season. The "14 Black Aces
" are: Vida Blue
, Al Downing, Bob Gibson
, Dwight Gooden
, Grant, Ferguson Jenkins
, Sad Sam Jones
, Don Newcombe
, Mike Norris, J. R. Richard, C.C. Sabathia
, Dave Stewart, Dontrelle Willis
, and Earl Wilson. In 2006, Grant released his long-awaited book, The Black Aces, Baseball's Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners, featuring chapters on each of the African-Americans to have at least one twenty win season, and also featuring Negro League players that Mudcat felt would have been 20 game winners if they were allowed to play. The book was featured in the Hall of Fame during Induction Weekend 2006, and in February 2007 President Bush honored Mudcat and fellow Aces, Ferguson Jenkins, Dontrelle Willis and Mike Norris, and the publication of the book at a ceremony at the White House. See blackaces.com Mudcat's Black Aces Site
On April 14, 2008, he threw out the ceremonial opening pitch at Progressive Field to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his major league debut. Mudcat was also awarded the key to the city to honor the occasion.
Lacoochee, Florida
Lacoochee is a census-designated place in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,345 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lacoochee is located at ....
) is a former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who played for the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
(1958–64), Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
(1964–67), Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
(1968), Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
(1969), St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
(1969), Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
(1970 and 1971) and Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
(1970–71). He was named to the 1963 and 1965 American League All-Star Teams.
Grant signed with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
in 1954 as an amateur free agent and made his big league debut with the Indians in 1958. His best season in Cleveland was in 1961 when he had a won-loss record of 15-9 and a 3.86 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
. In June 1964, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
and had a record of 11-9 for the remainder of the season. In 1965 Grant had the best year of his career. He was 21-7 for the Twins, helping to lead the team to the 1965 World Series
1965 World Series
The 1965 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the American League champion Minnesota Twins, who had won their first pennant since 1933 when the team was known as the Washington Senators...
against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
.
He finished 6th in voting for the 1965 American League MVP for leading the League in Wins, Won-Loss % (.750), Shutouts (6) and Home Runs Allowed (34). He also started 39 Games, had 14 Complete Games, 270 ⅓ Innings Pitched, 252 Hits Allowed, 107 Runs Allowed, 99 Earned Runs Allowed, 61 Walks, 142 Strikeouts, 8 Wild Pitches, 1,095 Batters Faced, 2 Intentional Walks and a 3.30 ERA. Grant's home run in the 6th game of the 1965 World Series
1965 World Series
The 1965 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the American League champion Minnesota Twins, who had won their first pennant since 1933 when the team was known as the Washington Senators...
was only the second by an American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
pitcher during a World Series game.
1966 was Grant's last year as a full-time starting pitcher. He spent his next five seasons in baseball as a reliever and occasional starter for five different big league clubs. He currently ranks 46th on the MLB Career Home Runs Allowed List (292).
In 14 years, he had a 145-119 Win-Loss record, 571 Games, 293 Games Started, 89 Complete Games, 18 Shutouts, 160 Games Finished, 53 Saves, 2,442 Innings Pitched, 2,292 Hits Allowed, 1,105 Runs Allowed, 985 Earned Runs Allowed, 292 Home Runs Allowed, 849 Walks, 1,267 Strikeouts, 33 Hit Batsmen, 60 Wild Pitches, 10,293 Batters Faced, 59 Intentional Walks, 3 Balks and a 3.63 ERA. Grant's home run during Game 6 of the 1965 World Series
1965 World Series
The 1965 World Series featured the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the American League champion Minnesota Twins, who had won their first pennant since 1933 when the team was known as the Washington Senators...
was the only one he hit that season and one of only seven he hit in his entire career.
After his playing career ended, Grant worked for the North American Softball League, one of three professional softball leagues active in the pro softball era. He later worked as a broadcaster and executive for the Indians, and also as a broadcaster for the Athletics.
In recent years, Grant has dedicated himself to studying and promoting the history of blacks
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
in baseball. On his official website, Grant pays tribute to the thirteen black pitchers (including himself) who have won 20 games in a season. The "14 Black Aces
Black Aces
The Black Aces is a book written by former Major League pitcher James "Mudcat" Grant about the only African American pitchers who have won at least 20 Major League Baseball games in a single season. Some black pitchers from Latin America, notably Luis Tiant, have expressed disappointment that they...
" are: Vida Blue
Vida Blue
Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , and Kansas City Royals He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971...
, Al Downing, Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson
Robert "Bob" Gibson is a retired American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "Hoot" and "Gibby", he was a right-handed pitcher who played his entire 17-year Major League Baseball career with St. Louis Cardinals...
, Dwight Gooden
Dwight Gooden
Dwight Eugene Gooden , nicknamed "Doc Gooden" or "Dr. K", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared pitchers in the National League in the middle and late 1980s.-Career:...
, Grant, Ferguson Jenkins
Ferguson Jenkins
Ferguson Arthur "Fergie" Jenkins, CM, is a Canadian former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was a three-time All-Star and the 1971 NL Cy Young Award winner. In 1991, Jenkins was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During a 19-year career, he pitched for four different teams,...
, Sad Sam Jones
Sam Jones (baseball)
Samuel Jones , known during his career as "Toothpick Sam" Jones or "Sad Sam" Jones, was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played from to ....
, Don Newcombe
Don Newcombe
Donald Newcombe , nicknamed "Newk", is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers , Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians .Until 2011 when Detroit Tigers Pitcher Justin Verlander did it, Newcombe was the only baseball...
, Mike Norris, J. R. Richard, C.C. Sabathia
C.C. Sabathia
Carsten Charles "CC" Sabathia is an American professional baseball pitcher with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball...
, Dave Stewart, Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Wayne Willis , nicknamed "The D-Train", is an American professional baseball pitcher. Willis is notable for his success during his first few years in the league and for his unconventional pitching style, which includes a high leg kick and exaggerated twisting away from the batter...
, and Earl Wilson. In 2006, Grant released his long-awaited book, The Black Aces, Baseball's Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners, featuring chapters on each of the African-Americans to have at least one twenty win season, and also featuring Negro League players that Mudcat felt would have been 20 game winners if they were allowed to play. The book was featured in the Hall of Fame during Induction Weekend 2006, and in February 2007 President Bush honored Mudcat and fellow Aces, Ferguson Jenkins, Dontrelle Willis and Mike Norris, and the publication of the book at a ceremony at the White House. See blackaces.com Mudcat's Black Aces Site
On April 14, 2008, he threw out the ceremonial opening pitch at Progressive Field to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his major league debut. Mudcat was also awarded the key to the city to honor the occasion.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
External links
- The Black Aces
- Cooperstown Confidential - 2004 interview
- BaseballLibrary.com - biography
- Biography from author of 1965 Minnesota Twins book