Pitcher, Philadelphia Athletics
Age: 31
7th season
with Athletics
Bats – Left,
Throws – Left
Height: 6’3” Weight: 190
Prior to 1931:
A native of
Lonaconing, Maryland, Robert Moses Grove didn’t play organized baseball until
he was 19 in 1919. The following year he took a leave from his job with the B
& O Railroad to play with Martinsburg of the Class D Blue Ridge League for
$125 per month. After producing a 6-6 record with a 1.68 ERA, Grove was sold to
the Baltimore Orioles of the International League where he received $175 per
month and went 12-2 with a 3.80 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 123 innings pitched.
Grove had an outstanding 25-10 record with Baltimore in 1921 as well as a 2.56
ERA, but he struggled with wildness and issued 179 walks. His 1922 tally was
18-8 with a 2.80 ERA, and in 1923 he was 27-10 with a 3.12 ERA and 186 walks.
Grove spent one more season with Baltimore in 1924 and posted a 26-6 mark and
3.01 ERA with his walks down to 108 over 236 innings despite missing six weeks
due to a wrist injury. Receiving lucrative offers from major league teams to buy
Grove’s contract, the A’s purchased his services for $100,600. In his first
year with the A’s in 1925, Grove struggled to a 10-12 record with a 4.75 ERA
while leading the AL in walks (131) as well as strikeouts (116). Primarily a
fastball pitcher when he joined the A’s, “Lefty” soon added a curve and
changeup to good effect and led the league in ERA (2.51) and strikeouts (194)
in 1926 to go along with a 13-13 tally. Grove was a 20-game winner for the
first time in 1927, as he went 20-13 with a 3.19 ERA and once again topped the
AL in strikeouts with 174. He was at the top in wins in 1928 with his 24-8
record to go along with a 2.58 ERA and league best 183 strikeouts. The A’s won
the pennant in 1929, with Grove contributing a 20-6 mark while leading the AL
in ERA (2.81) and strikeouts (170). Used in relief in the World Series against
the Cubs, due to their strong group of righthanded batters, Grove gave up no
runs in 6.1 innings pitched, struck out 10 batters, and picked up two saves as
Philadelphia won in five games. The A’s repeated in 1930 and the ace lefthander
went 28-5 to lead the AL in winning percentage (.848) as well as wins, games
pitched (50), ERA (2.54), and strikeouts (209). He got to start in the World
Series this time and posted a 2-1 record with a 1.42 ERA and 10 strikeouts as
the A’s defeated the St. Louis Cardinals. Known for his temper as well as his
pitching talent, he was a fierce competitor who would often trash the locker
room following a loss. By 1931 he had won three ERA titles and had led the AL
in strikeouts six seasons in a row.
1931 Season Summary
Appeared in 41
games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Pitching
Games – 41 [16,
tied with Hod Lisenbee]
Games Started –
30 [15, tied with George Earnshaw & Red Ruffing]
Complete Games
– 27 [1, tied with Wes Ferrell]
Wins – 31 [1]
Losses – 4
PCT - .886 [1]
Saves – 5 [6]
Shutouts – 4 [1]
Innings Pitched
– 288.2 [2]
Hits – 249 [19]
Runs – 84
Earned Runs – 66
Home Runs – 10
Bases on Balls
– 62
Strikeouts – 175
[1]
ERA – 2.06 [1]
Hit Batters – 1
Balks – 0
Wild Pitches – 2
League-leading wins
were +9 ahead of runner-up Wes Ferrell
League-leading
win percentage was +.086 ahead of runner-up Firpo Marberry
League-leading
shutouts were +1 ahead of runner-up George Earnshaw
League-leading strikeouts
were +23 ahead of runner-up George Earnshaw
League-leading
ERA was -0.61 lower than runner-up Lefty Gomez
Midseason
Snapshot: 17-2, ERA - 2.12, 100 SO in 161 IP
Most
strikeouts, game – 10 (in 8 IP) at Washington 4/18, (in 7 IP) vs. Bos. Red Sox
7/4
10+ strikeout
games – 2
Fewest hits
allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 9 IP) at St. Louis Browns 6/23
Batting
PA – 122, AB – 115,
R – 8, H – 23, 2B – 3, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 12, BB – 3, SO – 48, SB – 0, CS – 0,
AVG - .200, GDP – N/A, HBP – 0, SH – 4, SF – N/A
Fielding
Chances - 49
Put Outs – 2
Assists – 47
Errors – 0
DP – 1
Pct. - 1.000
Postseason
Pitching: G – 3 (World Series vs. St. Louis Cardinals)
GS – 3, CG – 2,
Record – 2-1, PCT – .667, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 26, H – 28, R – 7, ER – 7, HR –
0, BB – 2, SO – 16, ERA – 2.42, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0
Awards & Honors:
AL MVP:BBWAA
Top 5 in AL MVP
Voting:
Lefty Grove,
PhilaA.: 78 pts. – 98% share
Lou Gehrig, NYY:
59 pts. – 74% share
Al Simmons,
PhilaA.: 51 pts. – 64% share
Earl Averill,
Clev.: 43 pts. – 54% share
Babe Ruth, NYY:
40 pts. – 50% share
---
A’s went 107-45
to win the AL pennant by 13.5 games over the New York Yankees. The pitching
staff led the league in ERA (3.47), complete games (97) & shutouts (12). Following
a 17-game May winning streak, the A’s rolled to a third consecutive pennant.
Grove’s 31 wins, 16 of them consecutive, were a key to the club’s success. They
lost the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 3. In a Series
dominated by the performance of St. Louis CF Pepper Martin, Grove won the first
and sixth games, but Cardinal RHP Burleigh Grimes won the decisive seventh.
Aftermath of ‘31:
The A’s dropped
to second place in 1932 but Grove had another strong season, posting a 25-10
record and leading the American League with a 2.84 ERA, 27 complete games, and
four shutouts (tied with Detroit’s Tommy Bridges). His 188 strikeouts placed
second, breaking his string of league-leading totals. Grove was chosen for the
first All-Star Game in 1933 on his way to a 24-8 mark with a 3.20 ERA and a big
drop in strikeouts to 114, which fueled rumors that his arm was giving out.
With owner/manager Connie Mack unloading talent, Grove was dealt to the Boston
Red Sox in the offseason. A sore arm held him to 8-8 with a 6.50 ERA in 1934.
Grove rebounded in 1935, as he improved his curve, added a forkball, and became
more of a control pitcher and went 20-12 with a league-leading 2.70 ERA plus
121 strikeouts in 273 innings. He won another ERA title in 1936 (2.81) to go
along with a 17-12 tally, 6 shutouts, and 130 strikeouts. Grove won another 17
games in 1937, against 9 losses, and registered a 3.02 ERA along with 21
complete games and 153 strikeouts. In 1938 his 14-4 record allowed him to top
the AL in winning percentage (.778) as well as ERA (3.08), while his innings
pitched dropped under 200 for the first time since 1934, and only the third
time since he arrived in the American League. He won one last ERA title in 1939
with a 2.54 mark as he recorded a 15-4 tally. Following a 7-6 campaign in 1940,
Grove played one last season in 1941, going 7-7 with a 4.37 ERA and becoming
the twelfth 300-game winner in AL/NL history. For his major league career,
Grove posted a 300-141 record with a 3.06 ERA, 298 complete games, 35 shutouts,
and 2266 strikeouts in 3940.2 innings pitched. He led the AL in ERA nine times,
in wins four times, and in strikeouts seven times. With the A’s he was 195-79
with a 2.88 ERA, 179 complete games, 20 shutouts, and 1523 strikeouts in 2401
innings pitched. Frequently utilized as a reliever between starts, he
unofficially compiled 54 saves, 50 of them with the A’s. Appearing in eight
World Series games, all with the A’s, he posted a 4-2 record with a 1.75 ERA
and 36 strikeouts in 51.1 innings. A six-time All-Star, Grove was inducted into
the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947. In retirement he supported youth baseball
teams, and served on the council and as police chief in his hometown of Lonaconing,
Maryland. He died in 1975 at age 75. A memorial park has been created in his
honor in Lonaconing.
--
MVP Profiles feature players in the National or
American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award
(1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present)
as Most Valuable Player.
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