AL Player of the Week Lefty Grove
Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove (HA 2) doesn't figure much in our replay as 1934 was his only real "off" year. He was, however, the greatest pitcher of the 1930s and of all time. He pitched for the Philadelphia A's from 1925 through 1933. After the 1933 season, his contract was sold by a financially strapped Connie Mack to the flush Red Sox, recently purchased by the wealthy Tom Yawkey.
After being purchased by the Red Sox, however, Grove arrived at spring training in bad shape. According to his Boston teammate Bill Werber, he had a bad left shoulder that left him unable to pitch. Grove packed his bags and prepared to leave camp, when he was intercepted by Boston's travelling secretary, Phil Troy, who talked him into getting a physical. After a thorough examination, Grove was discovered to have impacted, infected wisdom teeth. They were removed and the pain subsided, but it would take a year before Grove was back to his old form.
With the exception of his first season, the 1934 season, and his final season, Grove was absolutely dominant. Overall, his career ERA (3.06) was substantially lower than the league ERA during that period (4.53), he won 341 games, lost 141 and earned 55 saves. In nine of his 17 seasons, he led the league in ERA. From 1925 through 1938, he was in the top 10 in strikeouts per 9 innings. From 1925 through 1930 he finished first, except 1928 when he was second. He frequently lead the league in strikeouts to walks as well.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1947.
