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Grover Cleveland Alexander
Grover Cleveland Alexander (February 26, 1887 – November 4, 1950), nicknamed "Old Pete" and "Alexander the Great", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played from 1911 through 1930 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals. In 1938, Alexander was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Alexander was born in Elba, Nebraska, one of eight children born to William Alexander and Martha "Maggie" Cootey. His father was a Democrat, and Alexander was born during the first term of President Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, so his parents named him for Cleveland. Alexander attended the schools of Elba and St. Paul, and graduated from St. Paul High School in 1909. After completing his education, Alexander was employed digging postholes for the Howard County Telephone Company.
Alexander played semi-professional baseball in his youth, signing his first professional contract at age 20 in 1907 for $50 per month ($1,687 in current dollar terms). In 1909, he played for the Galesburg Boosters in the Class D Illinois–Missouri League and went 15–8 that year with a 1.36 ERA. His career was almost ended when he was struck by a thrown ball while baserunning. Although this ended his 1909 season, he recovered by 1910 to become a star pitcher again, finishing with a 29–11 record for the Syracuse Stars in the Class B New York State League, before being sold to the Philadelphia Phillies for $750 ($25,310 in current dollar terms). He had been recommended to the Phillies by future scout Patsy O'Rourke who would be rewarded by the team with a $100 bonus and two tickets to the 1915 World Series.
Alexander made his Philadelphia Phillies debut during the pre-season 1911 City Series, pitching five innings of no-hit, no-run baseball against the Athletics. He made his official Major League debut on April 15. He was joined on the Phillies that year by catcher Bill Killefer, who went on to become Alexander's favorite battery mate, catching 250 of his games.
In his rookie year, Alexander led the league with 28 wins (a modern-day rookie record), 31 complete games, 367 innings pitched, and seven shutouts, while finishing second in strikeouts and fourth in ERA. From 1912 to 1921, Alexander led the league in ERA four times (1915–16, 1919, and 1920), wins five times (1914–17, 1920), innings six times (1912, 1914–17, 1920), strikeouts six times (1912, 1914–1917, 1920), complete games five times (1914–1917, 1920), and shutouts five times (1915, 1916 [a single-season record 16], 1917, 1919, 1921). He won the National League pitching Triple Crown in 1915, 1916, and 1920, and is sometimes credited with a fourth in 1917. In 1915, he was instrumental in leading the Phillies to their first pennant, pitching a record five one-hitters and winning his only Major League triple crown. Along the way, Alexander began to have problems with alcohol, a struggle that would plague him the rest of his life. In 1915, he won his first World Series game (the opening game of that series), for the Phillies. It would be 65 years before the Phillies won another World Series game.
After the 1917 season, the Phillies traded Alexander and catcher Bill Killefer to the Cubs for catcher Pickles Dillhoefer, pitcher Mike Prendergast, and $55,000. Phillies owner William Baker later admitted, "I needed the money."
After the United States entered World War I, Alexander was drafted into the Army, and one month before shipping out, he married Aimee Marie Arrant on May 31 in a courthouse ceremony in Manhattan, Kansas (the couple divorced in 1929, remarried in 1931, and divorced again in 1941).
Alexander spent most of the 1918 season in France as a sergeant with the 342nd Field Artillery Regiment, 89th Division. While he was serving in France, he was exposed to German mustard gas and a shell exploded near him, causing partial hearing loss and triggering the onset of epilepsy. Alexander returned to the United States in April 1919 on the SS Rochambeau. Following his return from the war, Alexander suffered from shell shock and was plagued with epileptic seizures, which people often misinterpreted as a sign of drunkenness; this only exacerbated his drinking problem.
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Grover Cleveland Alexander
Grover Cleveland Alexander (February 26, 1887 – November 4, 1950), nicknamed "Old Pete" and "Alexander the Great", was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played from 1911 through 1930 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Cardinals. In 1938, Alexander was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Alexander was born in Elba, Nebraska, one of eight children born to William Alexander and Martha "Maggie" Cootey. His father was a Democrat, and Alexander was born during the first term of President Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, so his parents named him for Cleveland. Alexander attended the schools of Elba and St. Paul, and graduated from St. Paul High School in 1909. After completing his education, Alexander was employed digging postholes for the Howard County Telephone Company.
Alexander played semi-professional baseball in his youth, signing his first professional contract at age 20 in 1907 for $50 per month ($1,687 in current dollar terms). In 1909, he played for the Galesburg Boosters in the Class D Illinois–Missouri League and went 15–8 that year with a 1.36 ERA. His career was almost ended when he was struck by a thrown ball while baserunning. Although this ended his 1909 season, he recovered by 1910 to become a star pitcher again, finishing with a 29–11 record for the Syracuse Stars in the Class B New York State League, before being sold to the Philadelphia Phillies for $750 ($25,310 in current dollar terms). He had been recommended to the Phillies by future scout Patsy O'Rourke who would be rewarded by the team with a $100 bonus and two tickets to the 1915 World Series.
Alexander made his Philadelphia Phillies debut during the pre-season 1911 City Series, pitching five innings of no-hit, no-run baseball against the Athletics. He made his official Major League debut on April 15. He was joined on the Phillies that year by catcher Bill Killefer, who went on to become Alexander's favorite battery mate, catching 250 of his games.
In his rookie year, Alexander led the league with 28 wins (a modern-day rookie record), 31 complete games, 367 innings pitched, and seven shutouts, while finishing second in strikeouts and fourth in ERA. From 1912 to 1921, Alexander led the league in ERA four times (1915–16, 1919, and 1920), wins five times (1914–17, 1920), innings six times (1912, 1914–17, 1920), strikeouts six times (1912, 1914–1917, 1920), complete games five times (1914–1917, 1920), and shutouts five times (1915, 1916 [a single-season record 16], 1917, 1919, 1921). He won the National League pitching Triple Crown in 1915, 1916, and 1920, and is sometimes credited with a fourth in 1917. In 1915, he was instrumental in leading the Phillies to their first pennant, pitching a record five one-hitters and winning his only Major League triple crown. Along the way, Alexander began to have problems with alcohol, a struggle that would plague him the rest of his life. In 1915, he won his first World Series game (the opening game of that series), for the Phillies. It would be 65 years before the Phillies won another World Series game.
After the 1917 season, the Phillies traded Alexander and catcher Bill Killefer to the Cubs for catcher Pickles Dillhoefer, pitcher Mike Prendergast, and $55,000. Phillies owner William Baker later admitted, "I needed the money."
After the United States entered World War I, Alexander was drafted into the Army, and one month before shipping out, he married Aimee Marie Arrant on May 31 in a courthouse ceremony in Manhattan, Kansas (the couple divorced in 1929, remarried in 1931, and divorced again in 1941).
Alexander spent most of the 1918 season in France as a sergeant with the 342nd Field Artillery Regiment, 89th Division. While he was serving in France, he was exposed to German mustard gas and a shell exploded near him, causing partial hearing loss and triggering the onset of epilepsy. Alexander returned to the United States in April 1919 on the SS Rochambeau. Following his return from the war, Alexander suffered from shell shock and was plagued with epileptic seizures, which people often misinterpreted as a sign of drunkenness; this only exacerbated his drinking problem.
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