| Grover Cleveland Alexander | ||
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| Pitcher | ||
| Born: February 26, 1887 Elba, Nebraska |
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| Died: November 4, 1950 (aged 63) St. Paul, Nebraska |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | ||
| April 15, 1911 for the Philadelphia Phillies |
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| Final game | ||
| May 28, 1930 for the Philadelphia Phillies |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Record | 373-208 | |
| ERA | 2. 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 Events 747 BC - Epoch (origin of Ptolemy 's Nabonassar Era 364 - Valentinian I is proclaimed Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Elba is a village in Howard County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 243 at the 2000 census. Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. St Paul is a city in and the County seat of Howard County, Nebraska, United States. Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and Events 1450 - Battle of Formigny: Toward the end of the Hundred Years' War, the French attack and nearly annihilate English Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. In Baseball statistics, earned run average ( ERA) is the Mean of Earned runs given up by a Pitcher per nine Innings pitched 56 | |
| K | 2198 | |
| Teams | ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
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| Member of the National | ||
 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Elected | 1938 | |
| Vote | 80. For other uses of this term see Triple crown In Baseball, the Triple Crown refers to A batter who (at season's end leads For other events named "World Series" see World Series (disambiguation. The 1926 World Series was the championship series of the 1926 Major League Baseball (MLB season featuring the St The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League ( NL) is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball In the 1915 World Series, the Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies four games to one The 1918 World Series featured the Boston Red Sox, who defeated the Chicago Cubs four games to two Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees over Chicago Cubs (4-0 All-Star Game 92% | |
Grover Cleveland "Old Pete" Alexander (February 26, 1887 - November 4, 1950) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals. Events 747 BC - Epoch (origin of Ptolemy 's Nabonassar Era 364 - Valentinian I is proclaimed Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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 The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. The St Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards " or "the Redbirds " are a professional Baseball team based in St He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938. The 1938 elections to select inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame were conducted along much the same lines as the 1937 vote
Contents |
Career
Alexander was born in Elba, Nebraska. Elba is a village in Howard County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 243 at the 2000 census. Alexander was one of thirteen children and played semi-pro ball in his youth. He signed his first professional contract at age 20 in 1907 for $50 per month. Champions World Series: Chicago Cubs over Detroit Tigers (4-0-1 Awards and honors Statistical Leaders He had a good first season, but it was marred by a beaning that probably contributed to later bouts with epilepsy. Epilepsy is a common chronic Neurological disorder that is characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. This incident set his career back, but he had recovered by 1910, became a star pitcher again, and was sold to the Philadelphia Phillies for $750. Champions World Series: Philadelphia Athletics over Chicago Cubs (4-1 Awards and honors
In his 1911 debut, Alexander led the league with 28 wins (a modern-day rookie record), 31 complete games, 367 innings pitched, and seven shutouts while finishing second in strikeouts and fourth in ERA. Champions World Series: Philadelphia Athletics over New York Giants (4-2 Awards and honors From 1912 to 1920, Alexander led the league in ERA five times (1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, and 1920), wins six times (1911, 1914-17, 1920), innings seven times (1911, 1912, 1914-17, 1920), strikeouts six times (1912, 1914-1917, 1920), complete games five times (1914-1917, 1920), and shutouts six times (1913, 1915, 1916 [a single season record 16], 1917, 1919). Champions World Series: Boston Red Sox over New York Giants (4-3-1 Awards and honors Chalmers Champions World Series: Cleveland Indians over Brooklyn Robins (5-2 Awards and honors He won pitching's Triple Crown in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1920. For other uses of this term see Triple crown In Baseball, the Triple Crown refers to A batter who (at season's end leads In 1915, he was instrumental in leading the Phillies to their first pennant, and he also pitched a record four one-hitters.
After the 1917 season, the Phillies sold Alexander to the Cubs, ostensibly fearful that he would be lost to the army in World War I, but as Phillies owner William Baker admitted later, "I needed the money". World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All William Baker may refer to William Baker the fictional real name of Sandman (Marvel Comics William Baker (theologian, controversial Sure enough Alexander was drafted, and spent most of the 1918 season in France as an artillery officer, where he suffered from shell shock, partial hearing loss, and increasingly worse seizures. Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Always a drinker, Alexander hit the bottle particularly hard after the war. He still gave Chicago several successful years, however, and grabbed another pitching triple crown in 1920. Finally tiring of his increasing drunkenness and insubordination, the Cubs sold him to the Cardinals in the middle of the 1926 season for the waiver price. Champions World Series: St Louis Cardinals over New York Yankees (4-3 Negro League World Series: Chicago
The Cardinals won the National League pennant that year and met the New York Yankees in the World Series, where Alexander had his finest moment. The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of The Bronx, in New York City, New York. The 1926 World Series was the championship series of the 1926 Major League Baseball (MLB season featuring the St He pitched complete game victories in Games 2 and 6 before coming into the seventh inning of Game 7, after Jesse Haines developed a blister, with the Cardinals up 3-2 the bases loaded and two outs. Jesse Joseph "Pop" Haines, ( July 22, 1893 &ndash August 5, 1978) was a right-handed Major League Baseball Pitcher Facing Yankee slugger Tony Lazzeri, Alexander struck him out and then held the Yankees scoreless for two more innings to preserve the win and give St. Anthony Michael "Tony" Lazzeri ( December 6, 1903 — August 6, 1946) was an American Major League Baseball player Louis the championship. Alexander had one last 20-win season for the Cardinals in 1927, but his continued drinking finally did him in. He left baseball after a brief return to the Phillies in 1930 and pitched for the House of David until 1938. Alexander died on November 4, 1950 in St. Paul, Nebraska at the age of 63. St Paul is a city in and the County seat of Howard County, Nebraska, United States.
Milestones
Alexander's 90 shutouts is a National League record and his 373 wins is tied with Christy Mathewson for first in the National League record book. Christopher "Christy" Mathewson ( August 12 1880 &ndash October 7 1925) nicknamed "Big Six" "The Christian Gentleman" He is also third all time in wins, tenth in innings pitched (5190), second in shutouts, and eighth in hits allowed (4868).
In 1999, he ranked number 12 on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) In 1998 The Sporting News compiled a list of Baseball's Greatest Players
Names / nicknames
Alexander was born during the first term of the popular U. S. President Grover Cleveland. Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18 1837 June 24 1908 was both the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States.
Newspapers often mentioned his full name when writing about him, in addition to just "Grover". He was also sometimes called "Alex", and on occasions when he succeeded in grand fashion (as with the 1926 World Series), they would call him "Alexander the Great". The 1926 World Series was the championship series of the 1926 Major League Baseball (MLB season featuring the St Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ'
The origin of the nickname "Old Pete" is something of a mystery. It is uncertain how frequently Alexander was publicly called by that nickname during his playing days. In The World Series and Highlights of Baseball, by Lamont Buchanan, published in 1951, the year after Alexander died, on pp. 106-107 the author refers to "Pete Alexander" and "Ol' Pete" in a matter-of-fact way, suggesting the nickname was well-known. When he won his 373rd game on August 10, 1929, one newspaper had called him "old Pete", indicating that the nickname was in public circulation. (The Scrapbook History of Baseball, by Deutsch, Cohen, Johnson and Neft, Bobbs-Merrill, 1975, p. 131).
His nickname among old family friends in Nebraska was "Dode. " (see "Grover Alexander and Bride Visit Home Folks," St. Paul Phonograph, St. Paul, Neb. , April 24, 1919)
Legacy
Alexander is the first player mentioned in the poem "Lineup for Yesterday" by Ogden Nash:
| Lineup for Yesterday | |
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| A is for Alex The great Alexander; More Goose eggs he pitched Than a popular gander. Frederic Ogden Nash ( August 19, 1902 &ndash May 19, 1971) was an American Poet best known for writing pithy and funny |
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| — Ogden Nash, Sport magazine (January 1949)[1] | |
Alexander was the subject of the 1952 biographical film The Winning Team, in which he was played by Ronald Reagan. Frederic Ogden Nash ( August 19, 1902 &ndash May 19, 1971) was an American Poet best known for writing pithy and funny SPORT magazine was the original major general interest American sports magazine The Winning Team is 1952 film It is fictionalized biography of the life of major league pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander starring Ronald Reagan Baseball commentator Bill James called the film "an awful movie, a Reader's Digest movie, reducing the events of Alexander's life to a cliché. George William “Bill” James (born October 5, 1949, in Holton Kansas) is a Baseball writer historian and statistician whose work has been " Nevertheless, Alexander has the unique distinction of being the namesake of one President of the United States who was portrayed on film by an actor who was later to become President of the United States. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by
See also
- 300 win club
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- Triple Crown
- List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
- List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
- List of Major League Baseball wins champions
- Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
References
- ^ Baseball Almanac. In Major League Baseball, the 300 win club is a term applied to the group of Pitchers who have won 300 or more games in their careers This is a list of the top 500 Major League Baseball winningest pitchers. For other uses of this term see Triple crown In Baseball, the Triple Crown refers to A batter who (at season's end leads Major League Baseball recognizes Earned run average champions in the American League and National League each season Major League Baseball recognizes Strikeout champions in the American League and National League each season The following is a list of Major League Baseball wins champions. In Baseball, a Strikeout occurs when the batter receives three strikes during his time At bat. At the end of each Major League Baseball season the league leaders of various statistical categories are announced Retrieved on 2008-01-23. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 393 - Roman Emperor Theodosius I proclaims his nine year old son Honorius co-emperor
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- baseballhalloffame.org – Hall of Fame biography page
- The Deadball Era
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