Jim “Mudcat” Grant’s major league career spanned from 1958 to 1971, the majority of which was spent as a starting pitcher for the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins. Grant’s most memorable season came in 1965 when he made history by becoming the first African-American pitcher to post a 20-win campaign in the AL. That same year, the right-handed hurler picked up a pair of victories in Minnesota’s narrow World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, just a few seasons later, Grant found himself moving from team to team through a series of transactions, bouncing in and out of the starting rotation, at times exiled to a mop-up role in the bullpen. Finally, in 1970, Grant found stability as a member of the Oakland Athletics where he became the leader of the club’s relief corps. An overlooked aspect of Grant’s career is his successful transformation from a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher to an effective relief pitcher who could be counted on to close out tight games.
During
this era, a team's primary relief pitcher was commonly referred to as a
fireman or stopper. Unlike today, where one-inning saves by closers
are the norm, the top relievers of this era were often asked to come
into the game with runners on base and pitch multiple innings. Grant’s
journey from frontline starter to fireman was not without its
difficulties. After going 21-7 with a 3.30 ERA while leading the AL in
victories, win-loss percentage, and shutouts during his banner 1965
campaign, Grant saw his record slump to 13-13 in 1966 despite posting a
slightly lower 3.25 ERA. The righty’s middling record was largely the
result of a decrease in run support. After being provided an average of
5.63 runs per game in 1965, his run support dropped by a full run and
three-quarters to 3.88 in 1966. Grant fell out of favor with the Twins
during a difficult 1967 season in which his ERA ballooned to a
career-high 4.72 as he battled knee injuries, was removed from the
starting rotation in mid-July, and gathered dust as a seldom used member
of the bullpen for the remainder of the year. During the offseason,
the hurler was packaged in a trade to the Dodgers where he had a nice
rebound campaign, posting a 2.08 ERA across 95 innings. Although
Grant’s 1968 season was successful from a performance standpoint, it was
unsatisfying professionally as he was unable to break into the
rotation—drawing just four starting assignments—and rarely received the
call in high leverage situations out of the bullpen. Grant’s stay in
Los Angeles lasted just a single year as he was left unprotected during
the expansion draft and subsequently selected by the Montreal Expos. Joining the startup Expos franchise presented the veteran with the
opportunity to become a starter again. Grant rose to the occasion,
having an excellent spring training and was named Opening Day starter
for the club’s inaugural game. However, Grant was largely ineffective
as a starter for Montreal and after producing an ugly 1-6 record and
4.80 ERA, was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals in early June. Shortly
after the trade, Grant drew a few starts for the Redbirds but following
back-to-back rough outings, the righty was sent back to the bullpen. Unlike Los Angeles the year before though, St. Louis called upon Grant
in tight games and high leverage situations. Towards the end of the
season, he became one the club’s main options to close out games. Grant
finished 1969 with seven saves, five of which came in September. His
combined record for Montreal and St. Louis stood at 8-11 with a 4.42
ERA. However, there was a significant gap between his 5.46 ERA as a
starter and 3.16 mark in relief.
After
splitting the 1969 season between Montreal and St. Louis, Grant once
again found himself on the move when he was sold to the Oakland
Athletics on December 5 for the hefty sum of $50,000—an amount which was
double the $25,000 waiver price. Grant joined an A’s club that, after
spending decades as an AL-doormat, had finally emerged into a contender. Led by the breakout performances of young sluggers Reggie Jackson and
Sal Bando, Oakland finished the 1969 campaign in second place with an
88-74 record. The A’s had done a good job of remaining in striking
distance of the division lead until the Minnesota Twins finally pulled
away in September to win the AL West by nine games. The acquisition of
Grant was part of a busy winter in which the team also picked up veteran
players Felipe Alou, Al Downing, Diego Segui, and Don Mincher. A’s
owner Charlie Finley explained his strategy behind bringing in Grant and
the other seasoned players. “Oakland’s big problem in the past was its
youth,” Finley remarked. “Now we’re sprinkling a little experience
along with the youth, which I think will pay dividends.”
On
March 28, a little over a week before the start of the regular season,
Grant played in the East-West Major League Baseball Classic to honor the
late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The charity exhibition game, which was
held at Dodgers Stadium, featured more than a dozen future Hall of
Famers including Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Tom
Seaver. Players were divided geographically into two teams of East and
West. During the pregame ceremonies, Grant, who was an accomplished
singer who took bookings as an entertainer in his spare time, delighted
the crowd with a soulful rendition of the National Anthem. Grant
pitched the eighth inning for the West but was unable to help his team
win. Sensing a good promotional opportunity, Charlie Finley called upon
Grant to sing the National Anthem before the A’s April 13 home opener
against the Milwaukee Brewers. This marked the first time an active
player sang the Anthem before a major league game. In addition to
Grant’s singing, the home opener was also notable for the use of bright
gold bases as part of a one-game experiment commissioner Bowie Kuhn
allowed Finley to try.
Grant started the season
in the all too familiar role of mop-up reliever. Nevertheless, he made
the most of the situation, throwing seven and two-thirds scoreless
innings in six appearances through the first month of the campaign. By
late May, Grant sported a minuscule 1.57 ERA when he embarked on a five
appearance stretch in which he gave up just one unearned run over nine
and two-thirds innings while racking up four saves. With the A’s record
hovering around .500, the team began using Grant as their primary
reliever to protect late game leads. Despite thriving in the fireman
role, Mudcat still was hoping for a chance to prove himself as a starter
in Oakland. “Everyone prefers starting,” the 34-year-old veteran said. “There’s just something about starting and relieving. Starters are
still considered to be better pitchers, even when that isn’t true in all
cases. It’s something that’s left over from the past. We’re still
living in the past in some respects.” After Grant secured Oakland
victories with back-to-back saves on June 9 and 10 against his original
club, the Cleveland Indians, the righty drew praise from A’s manager
John McNamara. “You can’t say anything but superlatives about Grant,”
the skipper proclaimed. “He’s been great. He’s done the job every time
we’ve called on him.” The hurler was particularly stingy on opposing
hitters during a month-long stretch from May 17 to June 16 in which he
gave up just a single unearned run across 27 innings in 16 appearances,
going 2-0 while picking up seven saves. During the impressive stretch,
the A’s record improved from 17-17 to 34-28. Mudcat picked up his
eleventh save on June 30 and in the process lowered his ERA to 0.93. Aside from his stellar work on the mound, Grant was also showcasing his
musical talents, making appearances at Oakland’s Jack London Inn night
club.
With the emergence of Grant as one of the
game’s top fireman, the A’s bullpen had a relief pitcher they could
count on to consistently close out tight games, something the team had
lacked for the past few seasons. Based on the veteran’s postgame
comments, it seemed he was becoming more accepting of pitching out of
the bullpen. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d still like to start,” Grant
remarked. “But there’s a lot to say about the bullpen. There’s the
drama involved and key situations where you have to produce or a game is
lost. It forces you to do your thing.” Grant finished the first half
of the season with a 4-0 record, 13 saves, and an otherworldly 0.79 ERA. Despite his dominant pitching, Grant was not selected for the All-Star
Game. AL skipper Earl Weaver opted to only select starting pitchers to
fill out the junior circuit’s roster for the Midsummer Classic,
essentially underscoring Grant’s comments about starters being widely
viewed as better pitchers than relievers.
When play resumed after the All-Star break, Grant picked up right where he left off, garnering saves in five straight appearances to close out the month of July. Included in that stretch was a July 26 outing in which Grant protected a one-run lead with two scoreless innings over the New York Yankees to give Oakland the 4-3 win. In the process, Grant collected his sixteenth save of the season while also securing starting pitcher Catfish Hunter’s fourteenth victory. Hunter’s postgame praise of Grant highlighted the reliever’s importance to the club. “In other years, I didn’t want to come out of the game because we didn’t have good relief pitchers,” Hunter stated. “Now that we have Grant, I don’t worry.” Securing Hunter victories was a running theme throughout the 1970 season for Mudcat as he ultimately saved eight of Catfish’s team-leading 18 wins. Sportswriters had fun with the two hurlers having such similar nicknames—one scribe even began referring to them as “The Cat People.” However, Grant was in some ways a victim of his own success. After the veteran’s July 26 save against New York, McNamara was asked about the possibility of moving Grant out of the bullpen to start. “Not a chance,” the manager said. “His effectiveness in the bullpen is obvious.”
Although the acquisition
of Grant gave Oakland a reliable reliever who could be counted on to
secure victories in tight games, the club was still having trouble
closing the gap the first-place Twins had opened up on them early in the
season. Many of Grant’s former teammates still called Minnesota home
and, on August 9 and 10, he picked up saves number 19 and 20 at their
expense. These wins helped the A’s draw closer in the division race and
by the middle of the month, the club had moved into second place and
pulled to within three and a half games of the Twins. However, Oakland
lost ground with a disastrous 1-11 stretch during the latter part of
August. Then, on September 14—with the A’s eight games in arrears of
the Twins—Finley abandoned any efforts to win the division when he sold
Grant to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Two days later, the eccentric owner
departed with another one of his key veterans when he sold outfielder
Tommy Davis to the Chicago Cubs. Finley’s late season moves drew
criticism from members of the press as well as his own players but the
team owner defended the sales explaining he had acquired Grant and Davis
to finish first and didn’t need them to finish second. Prior to his
sale to Pittsburgh, Mudcat was putting the finishing touches on his
finest season as a reliever with a 6-2 record and 1.82 ERA while
successfully converting 24 of 25 save attempts. In addition, Grant had
proved to be a great fit in the A’s clubhouse, providing a strong
veteran presence for the young team. The well-traveled hurler would now
be moving to his seventh organization and sixth in the space of four
seasons. Yet, in leaving Oakland, Grant expressed a level of
disappointment that had not been present when he departed other teams. “Everything I did was for the Oakland A’s,” Grant said after learning
he was sold to Pittsburgh. “You join the club, you put your worth into
the club, you hurt for the club, you have an outstanding year for the
club, and two weeks before the end of the season, someone (Finley)
phones you that you’ve been sold. Finley thanked me for the season I
had and for the help I gave some of the players. This really hurt.”
At
the time of Grant’s sale to Pittsburgh, the Pirates were in the midst
of a close three-team NL East pennant race with the New York Mets and
Chicago Cubs. However, since the hurler had been acquired by the
club after August 31, he was ineligible for postseason play should the
Pirates win the NL East. Nevertheless, Grant was still able to make a
big impact in the pennant race. On September 16, the righty made his
first appearance with his new team, protecting a two-run lead with three
scoreless innings against the Philadelphia Phillies to help ensure a
5-3 victory before giving way to Pittsburgh’s fireman, Dave Giusti, in
the ninth. Grant’s outing impressed Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh who
had never seen the veteran pitch. “This was a nice unveiling,” the
skipper said of Grant. “He gave this club a real shot in the arm
tonight.” With Pittsburgh holding a two and a half game edge over both
New York and Chicago, the club hosted the Mets for a crucial September
25-27 three-game series. During the series opener, Grant was called
upon to pitch with one out in the top of the seventh after a bases
loaded walk by Giusti allowed the Mets to tie the score. Grant induced
New York’s number three hitter Cleon Jones to ground into an inning
ending double play. Pittsburgh then scored the go-ahead run in the
bottom of the seventh, thus making Grant the pitcher of record in the
4-3 victory. The following day, Grant once again entered a tied game
during the top of the seventh inning, this time facing Ken Boswell with
two out and runners on first and second. Grant forced Boswell to ground
out to him to end the threat. Pittsburgh hitters repeated their
heroics of the night before, scoring the go-ahead run in the bottom of
the seventh while Grant closed out the game to earn his second
consecutive win. The next day, the Pirates beat the Mets in the final
game of the series to complete the sweep and clinch the NL East pennant. Mets manager Gil Hodges later admitted he had passed on the chance to
claim Grant through waivers, which had allowed Pittsburgh to acquire the
veteran. The Pirates were unable to ride their regular season momentum
into the playoffs as they were subsequently swept by the Cincinnati
Reds in the NLCS. Although Grant was ineligible for Pittsburgh’s
postseason roster, he did have a memorable moment during the NLCS,
singing the National Anthem at Three Rivers Stadium prior to Game Two. Mudcat finished 1970 with an 8-3 record, 24 saves, and a 1.86 ERA in
135 1/3 innings. Because he was traded away from the AL, his 72
appearances did not lead the junior circuit but his 80 overall
appearances split across the two leagues led all of baseball. With his
24 saves for the year, Grant joined Ellis Kinder and one of his former
pitching coaches Johnny Sain as the only hurlers to have achieved both a
20-win and 20-save season. Technically, Grant is recognized as the
first pitcher to accomplish the feat since Kinder’s and Sain’s
respective 20-save campaigns took place in 1953 and 1954 before saves
became an official MLB statistic in 1969.
During the offseason, the Pirates completed the Grant sale by sending outfield prospect Angel Mangual to Oakland. Charlie Finley addressed Grant’s absence in the bullpen during a January 26 press conference to introduce new A’s manager Dick Williams. “Grant did a great job last year,” Finley said. “But he kept some of our other relief pitchers from getting a chance to show what they could do.” However, despite Finley’s comments, according to Pirates general manager Joe L. Brown, the A’s owner expressed interest in reacquiring Grant in March. “I told Charlie we were counting on Grant,” Brown explained. “But if we ever decided to deal him, we’d try to give him first crack.”
Mudcat
picked up right where he left off in 1970 with an excellent first two
months to start his 1971 campaign. While Pittsburgh’s fireman Dave
Giusti was given the bulk of closing duties, Grant was regularly used in
tight games and saw his share of save opportunities as well. After a
difficult April 14 outing in which the righty blew a save and was
charged with the loss, he went on a 25-inning stretch without giving up a
run. Grant drew attention, not only for his success on the mound but
also for his appearance. Long known as one of the most stylish players
of his day, Grant sported thick mutton chop sideburns that reflected the
mod subculture that was growing in popularity. In late May, the former
20-game winner spoke about his career renaissance in the bullpen. “I’m
having success at a late age. I could have folded up, after not
starting and falling into the relief pitching thing. But I count it as
another experience.” At the end of May the veteran’s record stood at
3-1 with a 0.67 ERA and four of five save opportunities successfully
converted.
Unfortunately, NL hitters began
teeing off Grant in June as he posted a 5.32 ERA for the month and
followed it up with an even more unsightly 5.82 mark in July. After not
giving up a home run during the first two months of the season, he was
taken deep a combined eight times in June and July. In addition, Grant
had uncharacteristically been struggling with control issues throughout
the campaign, allowing an average of more than three walks per nine
innings. By August 9, Grant’s ERA had climbed to 3.60 when Pittsburgh
decided to part ways with the veteran and sold him back to the Oakland
Athletics. Grant was leaving a Pirates team that appeared poised to
return to the postseason, comfortably sitting atop the NL East with a
six and a half game edge over the second-place St. Louis Cardinals. Fortunately for the righty, the A’s club he was rejoining looked to be
an even safer bet to make the playoffs, leading the AL West by a
commanding 13 1/2 game margin over the runner-up Kansas City Royals.
Shortly
after learning of his sale back to Oakland, Grant was contacted by
Finley who insisted the hurler immediately meet the team in Boston where
the A’s were set to play the Red Sox in a doubleheader the following
day. Oakland manager Dick Williams wasted no time in using the veteran,
bringing him in to relieve starter John “Blue Moon” Odom during the
second game of the doubleheader. Grant earned the save by pitching the
final three and one-third innings of Oakland’s 7-5 victory. Following
the win, Williams spoke glowingly about Grant’s performance. “I was
thrilled,” the A’s skipper said. “He was excellent, excellent,
excellent. He threw strikes and brought it in. It looks like he picked
up right where he left off last year.” As Grant settled back in with
Oakland, he quickly became impressed with improvements the club was
making under the direction of their new manager, Williams. “I’ve seen
more guys give themselves up, like hit behind the runner, in one
week than I did all last year,” Grant said. “You’ve got to give
Williams credit. He’s done a tremendous job to orchestrate things. He’s put things together.”
 |
| Grant impressed his managers with his work out of the bullpen for the A's and Pirates |
Following his sale to the A’s, Grant reclaimed his pinpoint control which had abandoned him in Pittsburgh, pitching 10 innings for Oakland before issuing his first walk. Home runs were initially a cause for concern as the righty surrendered three longballs in his first four appearances for the A’s. However, from that point forward, he did not allow another batter to go deep on him for the remainder of the year. Grant was generally used in close games and shared the fireman role with Rollie Fingers and Darold Knowles as each of the three pitchers saw their share of save opportunities. On September 15, Grant earned the win, throwing three scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox. With Kansas City’s loss to the California Angels later that evening, Oakland officially clinched the AL West. The A’s finished the season 16 games ahead of the second-place Royals with a 101-60 record. In his month and a half with Oakland, Grant went 1-0 while posting an excellent 1.98 ERA and successfully converting three of four save attempts. Adding his totals from Pittsburgh, the veteran’s final ledger for 1971 was an overall mark of 6-3, supported by a respectable 3.17 ERA, and 10 saves.
With
their division title victory, the A’s advanced to the postseason for
the first time in four decades. Oakland’s opponent in the ALCS was the
defending World Series champion Baltimore Orioles who were also winners
of the past two AL pennants. Like Oakland, Baltimore easily clinched
their division, posting a nearly identical 101-57 record. Unfortunately, the youthful A’s inexperience showed against the
playoff-tested O’s as they dropped the first two games of the series on
the road in Baltimore despite sending a pair of 20-game winners, Catfish
Hunter and Vida Blue, to the hill. The series moved back to Oakland
for Game Three where the A’s, facing elimination, started veteran
right-hander Diego Segui. Prior to the game, Grant sang the National
Anthem in front of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum fans. With the
A’s down 5-2 in the top of the eighth inning, Grant entered the game to
face the top of Baltimore’s order. After surrendering a leadoff triple
to Don Buford, the hurler settled down and dispatched of Paul Blair,
Boog Powell, and Frank Robinson in succession. Reggie Jackson took O’s
starter Jim Palmer deep in the bottom of the eighth to make the score
5-3. In what would ultimately be the final inning of his fourteen-year
major league career, Grant quickly retired Andy Etchebarren and Brooks
Robinson on fly outs before surrendering back-to-back singles to Davey
Johnson and Mark Belanger. Grant then ended Baltimore’s two-out threat
by striking out Palmer. After Gene Tenace and Mike Hegan were fanned to
open the bottom of the ninth, Grant’s spot in the batting order came
up. Dick Williams pinch-hit slugger Curt Blefary for Grant. Palmer
mowed down Blefary to strike out the side and complete the sweep over
the A’s, giving Baltimore its third consecutive AL pennant. The Orioles
were then defeated in a thrilling seven-game Fall Classic against the
club that sold Grant to Oakland, the Pittsburgh Pirates.
While
Grant had missed out on winning the World Series title with his sale
from Pittsburgh to Oakland, the A’s had turned a corner from contender
into division champion and were in good shape to make another postseason
run in 1972. However, at the end of November, Oakland decided to
release Grant. Charlie Finley called the pitcher personally to deliver
the news. The release of Grant was surprising considering he had been
among the game’s best relief pitchers for the A’s in 1970 and had
returned to the team for a strong finish to his 1971 campaign, all while
providing veteran leadership to a young clubhouse. Grant’s release
perhaps can be traced to Finley not being interested in paying his
lucrative salary, which Pittsburgh had increased to $60,000 prior to the
1971 season. Finley was likely fine with absorbing a portion of
Grant’s salary to obtain him for the stretch drive but parted ways with
the hurler rather than pay his full salary for the upcoming 1972
campaign. “This whole thing of being released means having to prove
myself all over again,” Grant said. “I figure if you do the job, you
should get paid for it. If I play for a smaller amount and do well,
then we’re back into that again—my salary.” Grant did his best to take
the release in stride adding, “I want to remember the game of baseball
as something nice, something I enjoyed playing.” Although the
possibility of retirement loomed, the 36-year-old still showed
confidence in his abilities. “They keep telling me I’m an old man and
that I’m through, but I look around and see guys as old as me not doing
as well.”
After being let go by Oakland it
looked as if Grant might retire and pursue a full-time career as an
entertainer. However, Grant chose to continue playing professional
baseball and joined his original club, the Cleveland Indians, for spring
training. “This is like being back home,” Grant said. “This is where
everything started for me. I hope I can finish my career just as it
began—pitching in Cleveland.” Unfortunately, Grant was unable to make
the Tribe’s Opening Day roster but the franchise did offer the veteran a
chance to pitch for their Triple-A team in Portland. Nevertheless,
after a phone conversation with Charlie Finley, the hurler decided to
return to the A’s organization for a third stint, this time in the dual
role of reliever and pitching coach for Oakland’s Des Moines-based
Triple-A affiliate, Iowa Oaks of the American Association. “It’s a good
deal.” Grant said. “I can continue to pitch and get some coaching
experience.” Grant’s deal with the Oaks also gave the righty
flexibility. “Charlie says if any big league club wants to sign me at
any time this season he’ll let me go. Actually, on my record, I don’t
see how anybody let me go this year. I’ll never go to a camp as a free
agent like I did with the Indians.”
Grant
pitched well for the Oaks, working as the team’s fireman, a role he had
flourished in during parts of the past two seasons with the A’s. However, with young reliever Rollie Fingers coming into his own and
veteran hurlers Darold Knowles and Bob Locker also available to close
out tight games, Oakland’s bullpen had the late innings covered. Nevertheless, Grant remained hopeful for a call up to Oakland. On
August 3, the Oaks hosted the A’s for an exhibition game between the two
clubs. Oakland was in the midst of another excellent campaign, sitting
atop the AL West with a six-game lead over the second-place Chicago
White Sox. The A’s won the exhibition game, 5-3, defeating the Oaks in
extra innings with Grant taking the loss. Sportswriter Ron Bergman, who
covered the A’s beat for the Oakland Tribune and contributed to The Sporting News,
was on hand for the game and printed an exchange between Grant and A’s
pitching coach Bill Posedel in the August 26 edition of The Sporting News. “You going to hang ‘em up after this year?” Posedel asked Grant. “Not
as long as I know I can pitch better than some of the guys they’ve got
up in the big leagues now,” Grant replied. Bergman also printed another
quote from Grant speaking to an Oakland beat writer. “Don’t let them
forget about me down here,” Grant said to the scribe. The righty
finished the season with a 5-5 record and an impressive 2.38 ERA while
collecting 16 saves—a mark that trailed only Ron Tompkins among American
Association pitchers. Oakland captured their second consecutive AL
West crown and won their first of three straight World Series
championships. Despite his solid pitching for Iowa, Grant was unable to
earn a promotion to Oakland or draw interest from another club, a
puzzling outcome considering his success with the A’s and the Pirates
over the previous two campaigns.
After the 1972
season, Grant decided to retire, bringing an end to a professional
career that began in 1954 when he left tiny Lacoochee to try out for the
Cleveland Indians. In 14 major league seasons, Grant compiled a
145-119 record with a 3.63 ERA and 54 saves. With his playing career
behind him, Mudcat chose to, once again, return to his original team,
this time joining the Tribe as a broadcaster. After several years in
the booth with Cleveland, Grant made his way back to his final club,
briefly working as a broadcaster for the A’s in 1979. Grant also
continued to be a sought-after entertainer for singing and public
speaking engagements. In 1992, Grant’s former teammate Rollie Fingers
was elected to the Hall of Fame. Fingers, who retired as the all-time
saves leader in 1985, became just the second reliever, after Hoyt
Wilhelm, to be voted into Cooperstown. During Fingers’ acceptance
speech, he recognized Grant for the key role the veteran played in
helping him develop into a successful relief pitcher. “I learned a lot
from watching and in 1970, I had the opportunity to sit in the bullpen
with a guy who was on his way out of the game,” Fingers said. “He had
some great years with Cleveland and Minnesota. He was our stopper in
1970 in the bullpen. I had the chance to sit and talk with him and
watch him pitch and I learned a lot from this man and I’d like to thank
him, Jim “Mudcat” Grant. Thank you, Jim.”
At age 70, the multi-talented Grant displayed his skills as an author when he released The Black Aces: Baseball’s Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners. The book profiled each of the African-American pitchers to win 20 games in a season and also included Negro League hurlers who were denied the chance to play in the American and National Leagues due to the color barrier. Among the hurlers profiled in Grant’s book was San Francisco native Mike Norris who won 22 games for the A’s in 1980. Norris spoke of the impact that seeing Grant succeed as an African-American pitcher had on him during his childhood. “Mud pitched here in Oakland when I was a kid, but he was at the end of his career.” Norris said. “What that let me know was that it was possible that a black pitcher could pitch in the big leagues. That’s what Mud was to me. He was reality.”
Grant and several of his
fellow Black Aces made appearances at charity events and benefits. In
February 2007, President George W. Bush honored the Black Aces at the
White House as part of an event celebrating Black History Month. In
addition, to Grant, fellow Black Aces Ferguson Jenkins, Dontrelle
Willis, and Mike Norris were in attendance. President Bush said he
viewed the Black Aces as “a way not only to herald success, but to
inspire others” and thanked Grant for “showing courage, character and
perseverance.” In May of that same year, Grant returned to the Oakland
Coliseum for a pregame ceremony honoring the Black Aces. Alongside
Grant were Norris, Vida Blue, and Dave Stewart, each of whom posted
20-win seasons while pitching for the Athletics. For the ceremony, the
four hurlers wore Kansas City Monarchs jerseys made famous by Negro
League pitching icon Satchel Paige. Fittingly, Grant sang the National
Anthem during the pregame festivities while Stewart threw out the first
pitch.
On June 11, 2021 Grant passed away at
age 85. After learning of his passing, Stewart honored Grant on Twitter
saying, “I can hear you singing now. Sitting at the piano, putting on a
Mudcat concert. People who know you, and some who don’t making song
requests. What was once a small crowd has now turned into a big one. You fill the room with happiness, laughter and love. RIP Mud! You are
loved.”
----by John Tuberty
Follow me on Twitter @BloggerTubbs
Stat
links to main players mentioned: Mudcat Grant, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays,
Roberto Clemente, Tom Seaver, Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, Jim Palmer, Frank Robinson, Ferguson Jenkins, Vida Blue, Dave Stewart, Satchel Paige, Gil Hodges
Sources:
Baseball Reference, The Sporting News via SABR’s Paper of Record, San Bernardino Sun via California Digital Newspaper Collection and SABR’s Paper of Record, Albany NY Knickerbocker News Union Star via Fulton Newspapers and SABR Paper of Record, Mudcat Grant SABR bio, SI Vault,
Rollie Fingers’ Hall of Fame speech via National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum You Tube channel, George W. Bush White House Archives, Dave Stewart’s Twitter, Montreal Gazette via Google News Archive, ESPN, Jim
“Mudcat” Grant, Tom Sabellico, and Pat O’Brien-The Black Aces: Baseball’s Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners (Aventine Press), Danny Peary-We Played the Game: 65 Players Remember Baseball’s Greatest Era, 1947-1964 (Hyperion), Terry Pluto-The Curse of Rocky Colavito: A Loving Look at a Thirty-Year Slump (Gray & Company, Publishers), Bruce Markusen-A Baseball Dynasty: Charlie Finley’s Swingin’ A’s (Saint Johann Press)
Quotes credit:
-Charlie
Finley quote about bringing in seasoned players is from p.39 of the
December 20, 1969 edition of The Sporting News and was retrieved via
SABR access to Paper of Record
-Grant quote about preferring
starting over relieving is from p.17 of the May 23, 1970 edition of The
Sporting News and was retrieved via SABR access to Paper of Record
-John
McNamara quote praising Grant is from p.12 of the June 11, 1970 edition
of the Santa Cruz Sentinel and was retrieved from California Digital
Newspaper Collection via SABR access to Paper of Record
-Grant
quote about enjoying the drama of pitching out of the bullpen is from
p.14 of the July 1, 1970 edition of the Santa Cruz Sentinel and was
retrieved from California Digital Newspaper Collection via SABR access
to Paper of Record
-Catfish Hunter quote about Grant is from
p.8 of the July 27, 1970 edition of the Santa Cruz Sentinel and was
retrieved from California Digital Newspaper Collection via SABR access
to Paper of Record
-John McNamara quote about not moving Grant
out of the bullpen is from p.30 of the August 15, 1970 edition of The
Sporting News and was retrieved via SABR access to Paper of Record
-Grant
quote about trade from Oakland is from p.8 of the October 3, 1970
edition of The Sporting News and was retrieved via SABR access to Paper
of Record
-Danny Murtaugh quote about Grant is from the
September 17, 1970 edition of the Nassua NY Newsday and was retrieved
from Fulton Newspapers via SABR access to Paper of Record
-Charlie
Finley addressing Grant’s absence in the A’s bullpen is from the
January 27, 1971 edition of the Herkimer NY Evening Telegram and was
retrieved from Fulton Newspapers via SABR access to Paper of Record
-Joe
L. Brown quote about Charlie Finley trying to reacquire Grant is from
p.9 of the August 28, 1971 edition of The Sporting News and was
retrieved via SABR access to Paper of Record
-Grant quote
about career resurgence as reliever is from p.29 of the May 25, 1971
edition of the San Bernardino Sun and was retrieved from California
Digital Newspaper Collection via SABR access to Paper of Record
-Dick
Williams quote about Grant and Grant’s quote about Williams improving
the A’s are from p.10 of the September 11, 1971 edition of The Sporting
News and was retrieved via SABR access to Paper of Record
-Grant
quote about being released by Oakland is from p.47 of the December 11,
1971 edition of The Sporting News and was retrieved via SABR access to
Paper of Record
-Grant quote about joining Cleveland is
from p.41 of the March 11, 1972 edition of The Sporting News and was
retrieved via SABR access to Paper of Record
-Grant quote
about joining Iowa Oaks is from the April 8, 1972 edition of the Albany
NY Knickerbocker News Union Star and was retrieved from Fulton
Newspapers via SABR access to Paper of Record
-Bill
Posedel and Grant quotes to each other and Grant quote to Oakland beat
writer are from p.5 of the August 26, 1972 edition of The Sporting News
and was retrieved via SABR access to Paper of Record
-Rollie
Fingers quote about Grant was transcribed from his 1992 Hall of Fame
acceptance speech and retrieved from the National Baseball Hall of Fame
Museum You Tube video of the acceptance speech
-Mike Norris quote about Grant is from p.232 of Black Aces
-George W. Bush quotes about the Black Aces was retrieved from George W. Bush White House Archives
-Dave Stewart quote about Grant is from Dave Stewart’s Twitter
Cards:
Mudcat Grant cards-1971 Topps, 1972 Topps, crop of picture from 1991
Swell Baseball Greats, crop from 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates Picture Pack,
Black Aces book cover; Catfish Hunter 1987 Mother’s Cookies, Ellis
Kinder 1954 Topps, Johnny Sain 2003 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites, John
McNamara 1970 Topps, Danny Murtaugh 1971 Topps, Dick Williams 1972
Topps, Rollie Fingers 1972 Topps, Mike Norris 1984 Fleer
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