Burleigh Grimes was a professional baseball player from the early to mid-20th century. He was a highly accomplished pitcher, known for his unique pitch delivery and his longevity in the game.
Born on August 18, 1893, in Emerald, Wisconsin, Burleigh Grimes played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1916 to 1934 as a right-handed pitcher. He is most famous for being one of the last legal spitball pitchers in the game. Grimes initially played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he had a standout rookie season in 1918, leading the National League in strikeouts.
Burleigh Grimes' signature pitch was the spitball, a controversial technique where the pitcher applies saliva or some other substance to the ball to achieve a different flight pattern. However, after the 1919 season, the spitball was banned from MLB, and only the pitchers who were actively throwing it before that date were permitted to continue doing so. Grimes became one of these "legal spitballers" and became renowned for his ability to deceive batters with his unique style.
Throughout his career, Grimes played for several teams, including the Brooklyn Robins, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and New York Yankees. He achieved considerable success, winning over 20 games in a season three times and making it to the World Series with the Robins in 1920. Grimes was known for his durability, consistently pitching over 200 innings in a season.
In 1964, Burleigh Grimes was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to the sport as an effective pitcher and one of the last legal spitballers in MLB. He passed away
