Burleigh Grimes
The last legal spitball pitcher, a scowling, unshaven workhorse who won more games in the 1920s than any other hurler in baseball.
1893–1985 (age 92)·American baseball player and manager·Birthday: August 18·The Lost Generation
Biography
Burleigh Grimes was baseball's last legal practitioner of the spitball, a pitch he was grandfathered in to throw after it was banned in 1920. His appearance was as intimidating as his arsenal; he took the mound with a fierce scowl and days-old stubble, earning the nickname 'Ol' Stubblebeard.' Grimes was the epitome of a durable, competitive pitcher in the live-ball era. He logged over 4,000 innings, completing 314 of his 417 starts, and his 270 career wins are a testament to his consistency and grit. He pitched for several teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals, reaching the World Series four times and winning it with the 1931 Cardinals. Grimes embodied an older, tougher brand of baseball, a bridge to the game's rougher past, and was rightfully enshrined in Cooperstown.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Burleigh was born in 1893, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Burleigh Was Born
The biggest hits of 1893
Burleigh's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1893Born
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1898Started school
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1906Became a teenager
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Could drive
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1911Could vote
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1914Turned 21
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 30
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 40
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 50
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 60
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 70
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 80
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1985Died at 92
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
Key Achievements
- Was the last major league pitcher legally allowed to throw the spitball, grandfathered in after the 1920 ban.
- Won 270 games in his 19-season career, with a league-leading 190 victories during the 1920s.
- Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1964.
- Pitched in four World Series, winning a championship with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1931.
Did You Know?
His trademark unshaven look during starts was a psychological tactic to appear more menacing to hitters.
He was also a successful manager, notably leading the Brooklyn Dodgers in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
He was one of the few players to play for both the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, fierce rivals, during his career.
“A pitcher's job is to win, and I used every tool the rulebook allowed me.”
