Grover Cleveland Alexander (1938)


Date of Birth: 2/26/1887
Date of Death: 11/4/1950
Birthplace: Elba, Nebraska

Grover Cleveland Alexander, also known as Pete Alexander or by his nickname of Old Pete, was a pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals. As a youth, he played semi-pro baseball. In 1909, he played minor league baseball in the Illinois-Missouri League and the following year, he played in the New York State League. He was drafted by the Phillies in September, 1910.

Philadelphia Phillies

In 1911, his rookie year with the Phillies, Alexander played in 48 games. He had a 28-13 record with a 2.57 ERA and 227 strikeouts to 129 walks in 367.0 innings. He led the NL in wins, innnings pitched, and complete games pitched (31).

Alexander led the NL in strikeouts and in innings pitched in 1912. He had 19 wins and 17 losses, 195 strikeouts to 105 walks, and a 2.81 ERA in 310.1 innings in 46 games. He had similar numbers in 1913, finishing the season with 22 wins and 8 losses, 159 strikeouts to 75 walks, and a 2.79 ERA in 306.1 innings in 47 games.

Alexander had a strong season in 1914, leading the NL in wins (27 to 15 losses), strikeouts (214 to 76 walks), innings pitched (355.0), and complete games (32). He had a 2.38 ERA in 46 games.

In 1915, Alexander won the NL Triple Crown, and he led the league in wins, strikeouts, ERA, innings pitched, and complete games. He had career highs in games played (49) and strikeouts (241 to 64 walks). He had a career low ERA of 1.22 with 31 wins and 10 losses in 376.1 innings. He pitched 36 complete games that year. He also played well defensively, leading all NL pitchers in assists with 120 and in putouts with 22.

Alexander again won the NL Triple Crown in 1916. He led the league in wins, strikeouts, ERA, innings pitched, and complete games. He pitched in 48 games and he had 167 strikeouts to 50 walks and a 1.55 ERA. He had career highs in innings pitched (389.0), complete games pitched (38), and wins (33 to 12 losses).

Alexander had another stellar season in 1917, leading the NL again in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, and complete games. He had 30 wins and 13 losses, 200 strikeouts to 56 walks, and a 1.83 ERA in 388.0 innings in 45 games. He pitched 34 complete games. He again led NL pitchers in assists (108) and in putouts (24).

Chicago Cubs

After the 1917 season, the Phillies sold Alexander's contract to the Chicago Cubs. He played in only three games the following season, spending the rest of the season in the US Army. Alexander returned from World War I with injuries and alcohol problems but he still managed to lead the National League in ERA in 1919, his first year back from the army. He finished the season with 16 wins and 11 losses, 121 strikeouts to 38 walks, and a 1.72 ERA in 235.0 innings in 30 games.

Alexander won the NL Triple Crown for a third and final time in 1920. He once more led the league in wins, strikeouts, ERA, innings pitched, and complete games. He finished the season with 27 wins and 14 losses, 173 strikeouts to 69 walks, and a 1.91 ERA in 363.1 innings in 46 games. He pitched 33 complete games. Defensively, he again led NL pitchers in assists with 105.

Alexander's ERA went up to 3.39 in 1921. He struggled that season, winning just 15 games and losing 13 in 252.0 innings in 31 games. He struck out 77 batters and walked 33. His numbers were even worse in 1922, when he had a 3.63 ERA in 33 games. He had a 16-13 record and 48 strikeouts to 34 walks in 245.2 innings.

Alexander pitched better in 1923. He finished that season with 22 wins and 12 losses, 72 strikeouts to 30 walks, and a 3.19 ERA in 305.0 innings in 39 games.

In 1924, Alexander pitched in just 21 games. He had 12 wins and 5 losses, 33 strikeouts to 25 walks, and a 3.03 ERA in 169.1 innings. The next year, he pitched 236.0 innings in 32 games, and he had a 15-11 record and a 3.39 ERA. He struck out 63 batters and walked 29.

St. Louis Cardinals

During the 1926 season, the Cubs sold Alexander's contract to the St. Louis Cardinals. He finished the season with 12 wins and 10 losses and a 3.05 ERA in 7 games with the Cubs and 23 games with the Cardinals.

In 1927, his first full season with the Cardinals, Alexander had a 2.52 ERA in 37 games. He had 21 wins and 10 losses in 268.0 innings. The next year, he struggled, finishing with a 3.36 ERA in 34 games. He had 16 wins and 9 losses in 243.2 innings in 1928.

Alexander pitched in just 22 games in 1929. He had 9 wins and 8 losses and a 3.89 ERA in 132.0 innings.

Return to the Phillies

Alexander played his final nine games in the major leagues with the Phillies in 1930. He had a 9.14 ERA in 21.2 innings.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL Triple Crown (3 times)
  • Led NL in ERA (4 times)
  • Led NL in wins (6 times)
  • Led NL in strikeouts (6 times)
  • Led NL in innings pitched (7 times)
  • Led NL in complete games (6 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Alexander in 18 seasons (1911-1917, 1919-1929) in the major leagues include:

  • 9 seasons with over 20 wins, with a high of 33 in 1916
  • 8 seasons with over 150 strikeouts, with a high of 241 in 1915
  • 10 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 1.22 in 1915

Career pitching statistics for Alexander include:

  • 696 games played
  • 5,190.0 innings pitched
  • 373-208 win-loss record
  • 2,198 strikeouts to 951 walks
  • 2.56 ERA

Postseason statistics for Alexander include:

  • 3 postseasons
  • 7 games played
  • 42.0 innings pitched
  • 3-2 win-loss record
  • 1 save
  • 29 strikeouts to 12 walks
  • 3.64 ERA

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Alexander was the player-coach for a team named for him, the Grover Cleveland Alexander House of David team.

Alexander was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1938 on the third ballot with 80.9% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Grover Alexander
ESPN - Grover Alexander
Baseball Reference - Grover Alexander

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