Ross Grimsley

Ross Albert Grimsley Jr.[1] (born January 7, 1950) is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds (1971–73), Baltimore Orioles (1974–77 and 1982), Montreal Expos (1978–80) and Cleveland Indians (1980). His father, Ross Sr., pitched for the 1951 Chicago White Sox.

For his father, see Ross Grimsley (1950s pitcher).
Ross Grimsley
Pitcher
Born: (1950-01-07) January 7, 1950
Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
May 16, 1971, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance
September 24, 1982, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Win–loss record124–99
Earned run average3.81
Strikeouts750
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Ross was the son of Ross II, who pitched for the 1951 Chicago White Sox, and his wife Judy (Robinson) Grimsley. Ross II, a World War II veteran, had a long minor-league playing career.[2]

The younger Ross Grimsley was a 1969 graduate of Frayser High School in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was an outstanding basketball and baseball player.[3] He attended Jackson State Community College in Jackson, Tennessee. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round (17th pick) of the 1969 amateur draft (January Secondary).[4]

Major league career

He made his major league debut for the Reds at age 21 on May 16, 1971 in a 9-3 loss to the Expos at Riverfront Stadium. He started and took the loss, pitched 1.2 innings and gave up three earned runs. The first major league hitter he faced was Ron Hunt.[5] In 26 starts that year, he posted a record of 10-7 with a 3.57 ERA.

He followed up with an even better season in 1972, going 14-8 with a 3.05 ERA for the National League champion Reds. He also had a strong World Series, going 2-1 in four games (three in relief) with a 2.57 ERA as the Reds fell to the Oakland Athletics in seven games.[4] In 1973 he was 13-10 with a 3.23 ERA as the Reds won the NL West division.

The Reds were well known for conservative appearance rules for its players. Flouting the team rules with long hair, he ran afoul of manager Sparky Anderson who requested after the 1973 season that Grimsley be traded. He, along with Wally Williams, was sent to the Baltimore Orioles for Merv Rettenmund, Junior Kennedy and Bill Wood two months later on December 4.[6]

The deal paid off for the Orioles in 1974 as Grimsley went 18-13 with 17 complete games in a career-high 39 starts as the Orioles were American League East division champions. In 1975 and 1976 his totals were down, with records of 10-13 with a 4.07 ERA and 8-7 with a 3.95 ERA. In 1977 he was 14-10 with a 3.96 ERA.

Filing for free agency after four seasons with the Orioles,[7] he signed a six-year $1.1 million contract with the Montreal Expos on December 6, 1977. The Orioles had attempted to trade him to the Expos for Barry Foote prior to the 1977 season.[1] Grimsley rewarded the Expos with his best year in 1978. He was named to the 1978 National League All-Star team and finished seventh in voting for the 1978 National League Cy Young Award, posting a record of 20-11, 19 complete games, three shutouts, 263 innings pitched and a 3.05 ERA.[4] However, in 1979 he fell to a record of 10-9 with a 5.35 ERA. In 1980 he was only 2-6 with a 6.31 ERA for the Expos, and on July 11 he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for whom he went 4-5 with a 6.75 ERA.

Grimsley was released by the Indians and didn't play in the majors in 1981. In 1982 he returned to the Orioles, pitched 21 games in his final major league season.[4] His career totals included a 124-99 record, 79 complete games, 15 shutouts, 2,039 innings pitched and a 3.81 ERA.

Grimsley was one of the more colorful players of the 1970s. With the Reds, he was called into manager Sparky Anderson's office and told to stop corresponding with a "witch" who had been sending him good luck charms.[8]

Manning v. Grimsley

In an incident on September 16, 1975 at Fenway Park, Grimsley, warming up in the Orioles' bullpen, responded to Boston fans' heckling by throwing into the right field bleachers. The ball passed through the protective netting, injuring a Boston fan. The fan named Manning later successfully sued Grimsley and the Orioles (under Respondeat superior) in Manning v. Grimsley,[9] a case cited in law casebooks to highlight the scope of employment law as it relates to agency.[10][11] He was accused by Yankees manager Billy Martin in 1977 of throwing spitball pitches using Vaseline hidden in his hair, which was usually somewhat greasy in appearance anyway due to Grimsley's penchant for not showering during winning streaks. In addition to his nickname "Scuz" for his grooming habits, he was also called "Crazy Eyes" for wearing turquoise contact lenses.

Post-playing career
Grimsley pitching batting practice prior to the 2012 Eastern League All-Star Game

After his playing career ended, he was a minor league instructor for the Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies.[12]

Since 1999, Grimsley has been a minor-league pitching coach, for the San Francisco Giants, and for the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels.[13]

He has also co-hosted pre-game Orioles coverage on Baltimore's WJZ-FM 105.7, the team's flagship radio station.

He and his wife live outside of Baltimore.[14]

See also

References
  1. Durso, Joseph. "Mets, Twins Again Discuss Koosman," The New York Times, Wednesday, December 7, 1977. Retrieved August 26, 2018
  2. "Baseball in Wartime - Ross Grimsley".
  3. Watkins, Clarence (2012). Baseball in Memphis. ISBN 9780738591087.
  4. "Ross Grimsley Stats".
  5. "Montreal Expos at Cincinnati Reds Box Score, May 16, 1971".
  6. Armour, Mark L. and Levitt, Daniel R. In Pursuit of Pennants: Baseball Operations from Deadball to Moneyball. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2018
  7. Harvin, Al. "People in Sports," The New York Times, Saturday, October 29, 1977. Retrieved October 16, 2020
  8. Markusen, Bruce. "Cooperstown Confidential: Ross Grimsley and the swingin' '70s". Hardballtimes.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  9. Manning v. Grimsley, 643 F.2d 20 (1st Cir. 1981). From Google Scholar. Retrieved on September 22, 2012.
  10. William A. Klein. Business Associations. p. 68. ISBN 1-59941-042-7.
  11. Klein, William A.; Ramseyer, J. Mark; Bainbridge, Stephen M. (2015). Business Associations: Cases and Materials on Agency, Partnerships, LLCs, and Corporations (9th ed.). St. Paul, MN: Foundation Press. pp. 52–54. ISBN 978-1-60930-349-5. LCCN 2015372807.
  12. "Flying Squirrels Announce 2013 Field Staff".
  13. "Cooperstown Confidential: Ross Grimsley and the swingin' '70s | the Hardball Times".
  14. "Q&A with Squirrels pitching coach Ross Grimsley". 2011-07-12.
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