Athlete–It is no accident that the Museum of Nebraska Major League Baseball is situated within Howard County at St. Paul, for nearby is the final resting place of an American premier baseball pitcher. Grover Cleveland Alexander. Records of play for high school teams in this era are sketchy at best. One thing about Alexander in his Elba high school years, he was playing baseball successfully against older athletes and this led him into professional baseball for an illustrious major league career beginning in 1911. He played for the Phillies, Cubs and Cardinals, led the league in wins five times, in ERA five times, in strikeouts six times. His golden moment was striking out New York Yankees’ slugger Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded in the seventh game of the 1926 World Series. This namesake of a US president compiled a game winning lifetime mark of 373-208. Late in a career celebrated by the movies, he came on in real life relief late in the final game of the 1926 World Series to successfully strike out the New York Yankees. A World War I veteran who served overseas in France, Alexander was admitted to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown in 1938. His windup was minimal, his stride short, his delivery three-quarters overhand. His right arm swung across his chest and the ball seemed to emerge from his shirtfront. He warmed up quickly. On the mound he was deliberate but without wasted time or motion. He was a solitary man and said little, and that in a small, whispery voice. His teammates respected him. He also suffered from epilepsy, which was sometimes mistaken for drunken behavior. The disease first appeared in 1918 during his military service in France with the artillery, which partially deafened him.
- Led League in era 15-17, 19-20
- Led League in k 12, 14-17, 20
- Hall Of Fame in 1938
- IP W-L ERA Career 5189 373-208 2.56 World Series 43 3-2 3.35
Many of his minor league experiences were inauspicious. Playing for Galesburg, IL, of the Central Association in 1909, he tried to break up a double play and took the shortstop’s relay directly in the head. Unconscious for two days, he awoke with double vision. Galesburg sent him to Indianapolis but, still disoriented, he broke three of the manager’s ribs with his first pitch. Indianapolis sent him home and sold his contract to the Syracuse Chiefs over the winter. By spring, his vision had cleared and he won 29 for the Chiefs, including 15 shutouts.
The Phillies acquired Alexander for $750 in 1911. As a rookie, he led the NL in wins (28), complete games (31), innings pitched (367), and shutouts (7). Four of the shutouts were consecutive; one was a 1-0 win over Cy Young, then in his final season.
Alexander’s greatest years were in Philadelphia (1911-17), despite a right-field wall that was only 272 feet from home plate. He won 190 games (one-third of the team’s total for the period), won 30 or more three straight years, 1915-17, and led the NL in every important pitching statistic at least once. His 16 shutouts in 1916 is still the ML record.
Traded with catcher Bill Killefer to the Cubs in 1917 for a battery of considerably lower caliber and $55,000, Pete won another 128 games for Chicago. In 1926, he went to the Cardinals for the $6,000 waiver price.
He had a live fastball that moved in on righthanded hitters and a sharp-breaking curve. He had no changeup as such, but could change speeds on both the fastball and the curve to achieve the same effect. He kept the ball low and on the outside of the plate. His control was extraordinary (career: 1.65 walks per 9 innings), and batters who tried to wait him out usually fanned.
His most famous victim was Tony Lazzeri of the Yankees. In the seventh inning of the final game of the 1926 WS, with the Cardinals ahead 3-2, the Yankees had two out and the bases loaded. Alexander, who’d won two games, including a complete game the day before, relieved for St. Louis. On four knee-high pitches, he struck out Lazzeri, then pitched two more hitless innings to wrap up the World Championship.
After his 1926 heroics, Alexander got his best contract ever: $17,500. He responded with 21 wins in 1927, but he was 40 years old. Whiskey and age were taking their toll. After leaving the majors, he pitched in demeaning circumstances with touring teams until he was 51. He retired believing his 373 wins placed him one ahead of Christy Mathewson for the most career NL victories, but later statistical research added another win to Matty’s total.
