Here is all you want to know, and more! As a hitter, he accumulated 378 hits in 1,810 at-bats for a .209 batting average with 11 home runs, 163 runs batted in, 154 runs and 77 bases on balls in a 20-year career. Failed to delete memorial. When he died he was at his typewriter writing a letter to his divorced wife. The following season in 1928, Alexander had only sixteen wins and played his final World Series. Cause Of Death: N/A Ethnicity: Unknown Nationality: American Grover Cleveland Alexander was born on the 26th of February, 1887. His signature changed little over the years and there are two common variations. But Grover didn't grow up in Ohio. It was from such ambitious corn-husking that Alexander developed his ability to pitch effortlessly and tirelessly, suggested Mr. Alexander. In that 1910 season, Alexander had twenty-nine wins along with fifteen shutouts for the Chiefs. Alexander passed the lonesome hours on the trains by answering his mail. Although he continued to pitch with semiprofessional teams and in exhibition contests, Alexander's major league career was over in 1930. "Grover Alexander Career Pitching Statistics." Add to your scrapbook. He played from 1911 through 1930 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals. Grover Alexander Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac The cause of death was listed as a heart attack. Apparently, however, it was not a much safer vocation; Alexander received a nearly fatal baseball beaning to the head that left him unconscious for two days. Alexander demonstrated his talent by pitching a no-hitter against Pekin and a 1-0 shutout that first year. She mixed them each a highball and they went to bed. [21], Alexander attended Game 3 of the 1950 World Series at Yankee Stadium, where he saw the Phillies lose to the Yankees. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. When his health worsened to a nearly disabling degree, a small pension was arranged by the Baseball Commission at the urging of Aimee Alexander. Later, near the end of his career, tales of Alexanders drinking made the rounds throughout the league. His success in 1926 kept Alexander in the game, and in 1927 at . The Pitcher. in the time of Justinian) Ogden Nash, Sport magazine (January 1949)[27], Newspapers often mentioned Alexander's full name when writing about him, in addition to just "Grover". The friend agreed to accept the $50 per month from Ford Frick in exchange for room and board and for looking out for Alexander. We have set your language to For the first time in the pitcher's career, he had more losses than wins. His twenty-eight wins set a record for a rookie pitcher, a record that stood untouched for sixty years. He was given his release for the rest of the season. 2023 . Directed by Lewis Seiler, the film starred Ronald Reagan and Doris Day, and also featured several major-league baseball players of the 1950s such as "Peanuts" Lowrey, Jerry Priddy, and George Metkovich. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Again, he was in search of a job. No one was more mindful of this than then Cardinals owner Sam Breadon, the man who let Alexander go after the 1929 season. He divorced, remarried, and again divorced his wife, Aimee. NORTH CONWAY, N.H. " I used to think I had a kind of competition going on with Gov. ." His funeral was held two days later on Nov. 6, 1950, with old friend Rev. Grover Cleveland Alexander - Chronology, Career Statistics - JRank Many fans who had written to him during that time to request an autograph received responses postmarked from the small western towns between St. Paul and California. Alexander remained with the Cubs until mid-season, 1926. Please enter your email and password to sign in. I may need you tomorrow. It appears he took Hornsbys advice and went back to his hotel room and stayed there all night. He asked for and was given another chance from Arrants and pledged that his drinking escapades were behind him. His pitching exploits rank him among the greatest right-handed pitchers in National League history, alongside his rival, the New York Giants' "Christian Gentleman" Christy Mathewson. Marker Monday: Grover Cleveland Alexander, a baseball great Ex wife of the great baseball player, Grover Cleveland Alexander. These sell today in the $1,500-$2,000 price range and have more than doubled in value over the past two years. . During a seizure, teammates would hold him down and grab his tongue to keep him from choking to death. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Arrants visited him in the hospital to check on his condition then filed for divorce for the second time and left to live in Los Angeles, far away from her former husbands self-destruction. Between 1918 and 1926 Alexander won 128 games for the Chicago franchise, including a league-leading twenty-seven games in 1920. Arrants spent the remaining years of her life in the Los Angeles area. Please try again later. Doan knew full well that without her, Alexander could rarely be relied on to manage his own affairs. In addition he had a severe hearing loss caused by frontline artillery fire. The following season was perhaps the pinnacle of achievement for Alexander. In the summer of 1893, President Grover Cleveland disappeared for four days to have secret surgery on a yacht. The opposing team was the New York Yankees, who had already lost to the Cardinals the previous day, with Alexander pitching. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? For other people with similar names, see, Major League Baseball pitchers who have won the, Toggle Major League Baseball career subsection, Smelser, Marshall (1975). Alexander had one more good season with the Cardinals. In 1941, a taxi driver found him on the street unconscious with numerous facial lacerations. Alexander recovered from the injury, but he suffered double (June 29, 2023). [6], Alexander played semi-professional baseball in his youth, signing his first professional contract at age 20 in 1907 for $50 per month ($1,570 in current dollar terms). [1] Early life But he was unable to enjoy this fame. Retrieved June 29, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/alexander-grover-cleveland. Two days later, Alexander was named in a lawsuit by St. Paul theater owner Roy Mason, who demanded compensation from the former big league ballplayer for the alienation of affection of his estranged wife Mrs. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. He was arrested and jailed after a car accident and six-mile chase, for suspicion of intoxication, reckless driving, speeding, illegal transportation of liquor, fleeing the scene of an accident, and failing to stop when ordered by police. Grover Cleveland's grandson is still alive - Washington Examiner Mr. Cleveland is Dead at 71 - The New York Times Web Archive By this time Alexander had been away from the majors for nearly eight years. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Aimee Alexander (188381654)? In 1909, he played for the Galesburg Boosters in the Class D IllinoisMissouri League and went 158 that year with a 1.36 ERA. Bush," a mustachioed man said in introducing Jeb Bush before a townhall meeting here on Thursday. When he could no longer play baseball due to his health, Alexander took what odd jobs he could find. Neither one of them could have known then how tragic their lives would later become or how they would both be inextricably bound together through all of it. Try again later. But a greater number of former players had to take what they could find. Charles C. Alexander quoted Hoyt as stating that one of the downsides of choosing baseball as a career was that "it takes the player's best years and trains him for nothing else.". Aimee Marie Arrant Alexander (1893-1979) - Find a Grover Cleveland Alexander Biography. [5] After completing his education, Alexander was employed digging postholes for the Howard County Telephone Company. Sometimes postmarked from small towns that dotted the country along the railroad route between Nebraska and Los Angeles as Alex would frequently attend to autograph requests during his train trips as a way to relieve the monotony. Baseball Almanac, http://baseball-almanac.com/players/p_galex2.htm (October 23, 2002). He had died after mailing a letter to Arrants in which he apologized for not making it to Omaha. Nevertheless, if Grover Alexander wasnt drunk that day he had many more ahead of him in which he would be. Very little in the way of unsigned memorabilia has surfaced over the years. Encyclopedia.com. This account has been disabled. I wouldnt say a word against him; hes a nice fellow. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Despite any past or future feats Alexander achieved or would achieve, it was that day that defined him in the history books and baseball stories. //Pete Alexander - Cooperstown Expert Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). While on a hunting trip with Bill Killefer in Texas, Alexander's dusty appearance prompted Killefer to name him "Alkali Pete" and it stuck. Alexander's year away from the sport that he loved and his new physical challenges seemed to have little effect on the pitcher's skill, and he continued to devastate the hitters who faced him. Poliquin, Bud. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. When liquor was unavailable, Alexander drank Arrants perfume. The Baseball Hall of Fame is a sign of outstanding achievement in a player's career and is taken a bit more seriously by today's members than by its earlier inductees. He watched the two games at Yankee Stadium, as the Yanks won four straight to win the series. The 1926 season rolled around, and the club's new manager, Joe McCarthy, "had strict rules against the consumption of alcohol on the team," wrote Clark and Webb. They would separate and reunite dozens of times throughout their lives, even divorcing in 1929, remarrying and divorcing again, but they never could stay apart for very long. The check that he had been waiting on arrived the following day. Saint Paul, Nebraska, United States, Place of Burial Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Gale Group, http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC (October 15, 2002). His career was almost ended when he was struck by a thrown ball while baserunning. Before going to war, he was given a watch engraved with the nickname, dating its origin to no later than 1918. Neyer, Rob. Year should not be greater than current year. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Alexander's drinking began to affect his performance on the field, and it exacerbated his already rebellious and moody nature. It was there that he was admitted to the hospital again for what the papers called a nervous condition. He had lately expressed concern over irritation in his right ear where he had sustained a minor shrapnel wound during World War I. ALEXANDER (c. 367 b.c.e. Another theory suggested that it was the serious head injury Alexander incurred early in his career that was to blame. Feeling better than he had felt in years and with a pension (of sorts) coming from the Cardinals and a regular check from The House of David Team, things were looking up. [19] Alexander has the most career wins of any pitcher who never threw a no-hitter. On Oct. 10, in the seventh inning of the seventh and deciding game of the 1926 World Series, a great pitcher sometimes dubbed "Old Pete" or "Alex the Great" became a legendary, baseball folk-hero. The 1926 World Series and especially Game 7 would prove to be the swan song of Alexanders career and oddly enough the legend that surrounds one of his most stellar achievements would be centered around his drinking. Trivia (June 29, 2023). Sports Wax Promotions is THE premier Sports Card show promotion in North Carolina. Alexander was a good fielding pitcher for his era, committing only 25 errors in 1,633 total chances for a career .985 fielding percentage. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. The business manager of the Omaha Cardinals, Ray Oppegard, was there representing the St. Louis Cardinals and picked up the check for the funeral services and burial. Born in 1887, Alexander played in his first big league game in 1911 at the age of 24. Sports writer Bud Poliquin commented that Alexander "grudgingly participated in Coopertown's first induction ceremony." 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. He led the Phillies to their first pennant, but Philadelphia was defeated in the World Series by the Boston Red Sox and Babe Ruth. [7], Alexander made his Philadelphia Phillies debut during the pre-season 1911 City Series, pitching five innings of no-hit, no-run baseball against the Athletics.