Monday, June 28, 2021

Mudcat Wasn't Grant(ing) Many Batter's Wishes In 1970, Part 1

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Jim "Mudcat" Grant on June 11th. Not only was he a very good starting pitcher, but he later made the smooth transition to relieve. His 1970 season is one of the best of all-time.

Grant had started out in the Cleveland Indians' organization. By 1958, he was in the bigs. There could be not doubt he was going to be a star someday. Pitching at "C" level in 1954 with Fargo-Moorhead of the Northern League, Jim won 21 games. Moving up a level, he won 19 more with the 1955 Keokuk Kernels of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. A third pro season meant a level up again. Grant was only 12-13 in 1956 with Reading of the Eastern League, but progress in the minor leagues was soon about to reach an apex.

1957 was the year it all came together for Mudcat. Pitching for the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League, Grant was 18-7, and posted an earned run average of just 2.31. Cleveland would need him, as that year they lost promising pitcher Herb Score to an eye injury. Score had won 36 games over two seasons, but now his future was in doubt.

So there Jim was in 1958. In the bigs. A 10-11 record was something not great, but Grant would build on. Three years later, Mudcat won 15.

But if there was ever a blessing for Grant, it came in 1964. He'd started off slow, just 3-4 with an ERA of nearly six (5.95). So, Jim was shipped to Minnesota for George Banks and Lee Strange. Prior to this trade, Mudcat Grant had never had a earned run average below three. With the Twins that finally happened. Indeed, the rest of the season, the new pitcher went 11-9 with a 2.82 ERA.

In 1965, it was tough to stick out on a great Minnesota team. They had Camilo Pascual. They had Jim Kaat. They had Jim Perry. However, all those pitchers didn't perform at righty Jim Grant's level.

Pascual won only nine games. Perry won a dozen. Kaat was 18-11 with a great ERA. But none of those hurlers won twenty games. Grant did that, and one better. He went 21-7 with 6 shutouts. The wins and shutouts both led the junior circuit. One of the reasons for Jim's great season was his pitching coach Johnny Sain. Sain taught him a new pitch: A (Very fast) curveball!

The Twins themselves stopped the New York Yankees from winning their sixth straight pennant in 1965. New York only won 77 games that year, so they really didn't. It just had seemed like so long since anyone but the Yankees won the American League pennant.

But in the World Series, Minny had to face LA. The Dodgers had a 26-game winner in Sandy Koufax. And a 23-game winner in Don Drysdale. Both were at the peak of their careers.

Still, Grant easily beat Drysdale 8-2 in the opener at home. And Mudcat matched the Los Angeles offence by scoring two runs himself. Kaat went out and surprisingly beat Koufax 5-1 in the second contest.

But the Dodgers were a team to be reckoned with. Their third best pitcher, Claude Osteen, a lefty like Sandy Koufax, had fifteen wins to his name in 1965. He easily got the better of Camilio Pascual in game three. The 4-0 win set the table for Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax to get this team back on track.

Drysdale won game four, 7-2. Mudcat Grant lasted five innings, giving up six hits and four earned runs. Koufax was even better than Drysdale in game five, easily beating Katt and company, 7-0 on the four-hitter.

So it was back to Minnesota, with the home team suddenly needing a win to stay alive. It had seemed like just yesterday that the Twins had been up 2-0. Claude Osteen was looking for his second win. He would not get it.

Mudcat Grant did. And on just two days' rest. Jim did it all. He beat the Dodgers 5-1. Three of those runs came on a home run off the bat of Grant. Osteen didn't pitch too bad. He went five innings and gave up just one earned run. But now this thing was going to a seventh and deciding game.

Since the home team had won the previous six contests, you'd think Minny was in good shape. But it was Sandy Koufax who won it for Los Angeles. He beat Minnesota 2-0 on a fine three-hitter. The Twins hopes had been dashed by the brilliant lefty.

The Twins won 89 games in 1966, but not the pennant. It was the Baltimore Orioles that came out on top that year. They then whipped the Dodgers in four games in the Fall Classic. Minny had to be content with second place. Mudcat Grant was just 13-13.

And sadly, Grant wasn't around Minnesota much longer. After a disappointing 1967 season by Mudcat, both Grant and shortstop Zoilo Versalles were traded to Los Angeles. The Dodgers were no longer the team they'd once been, alas. Koufax had retired after the 1966 season. Maury Wills, their shortstop, had been traded to Pittsburgh. Tommy Davis was also traded, to the New York Mets.

1968 went only a little better for Los Angels then the previous season. They won 76 games. Bill Singer was just 13-17, but his earned run average was just 2.88. Don Drysdale pitched six consecutive shutouts (And finished with eight, total) won fourteen games. 

The bullpen was the strength of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jim Brewer led all the LA relievers with eight wins. But Mudcat Grant proceeded to make the smooth transaction from starter to bullpen ace. He won six games himself and posted a low earned-run average. But the pitcher still started thirteen games.

However, the stay in Los Angeles was short. Grant joined the expansion Montreal Expos in 1969, going just 1-5. The Expos used him more as a starter than as a reliever. Of his eleven appearances, ten were starts. Mudcat was then traded to St. Louis for Ray Washburn, who were looking for a third straight pennant that season. It was back to the bullpen for Mudcat Grant. He posted a 7-5 record, but like his time in Montreal, his ERA was over four. The Cardinals still had Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton and Nelson Briles. Plus they had a kid named Mike Torrez who was 10-4. Grant actually lowered his ERA from 4.80 with the Expos to 4.12 with the Cards.

So I guess it was a tad iffy with Grant. St. Louis sold him to the Oakland Athletics. There, he was 6-2 with an excellent ERA, 1.82. But would you believe it? Grant didn't last the season. Despite appearing in 72 games for Oakland and performing well in pretty much all of 'em, Mudcat was traded to Pittsburgh. Well, the new scenery didn't change the fact that he'd settled in to bullpen duty.

With the Pirates, Grant was 2-1 in eight appearances. So all told, Mudcat Grant made 80 appearances in 1970, all in relief. He also finished the game 54 times. And it's not like he was a one-inning guy. Nope. Actually, the veteran pitched 135 1/3 innings in '70. His win-loss record was 8-3. And we're just scratching the surface of Mudcat's great season in relief.

Greatest Relief Seasons of All-Time Stat Set 1



Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Bernhard 1899 21 9 0.429 132.1 6 6
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Walsh 1904 18 10 0.556 110.2 6 3
               
Griffith 1905 25 17 0.680 101.2 9 6
               
Ferguson 1906 22 19 0.864 52.1 2 0
               
Keefe 1907 19 14 0.737 57.2 3 5
               
Chappelle 1908 13 6 0.462 70.1 2 4
               
Leever 1909 19 12 0.632 70.0 8 1
               
Dygert 1909 32 13 0.406 137.1 9 5
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Phillipe 1910 31 19 0.613 121.2 14 2
               
Benz 1911 12 4 0.333 55.2 3 2
               
Baskette 1912 29 18 0.621 116.0 8 4
               
Crandall 1913 35 27 0.771 97.2 4 4
               
Wolfgang 1914 24 12 0.500 119.1 9 5
               
Bressler 1914 29 15 0.517 147.2 10 4
               
Conzelman 1914 33 16 0.485 101.0 5 6
               
Mays 1915 38 27 0.711 131.2 6 5
    &nbsnbsp;          
Hughes 1916 40 19 0.475 161.0 16 3
               
Danforth 1917 50 26 0.520 173.0 11 6
               
Bender 1917 20 9 0.450 113.0 8 2
               
Coumbe 1917 34 15 0.441 134.1 8 6
               
Dubuc 1919 36 22 0.611 132.0 6 4
               
Luque 1919 30 9 0.300 106.0 10 3
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Morton 1921 30 15 0.500 107.2 8 3
               
Baumgartner 1925 37 9 0.243 113.1 6 3
               
Marberry 1926 64 47 0.734 138.0 12 7
               
Clark 1927 27 19 0.704 73.2 7 2
               
Haid 1928 27 14 0.519 47.0 2 2
               
Rommel 1929 32 15 0.469 113.2 12 2
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Lindsey 1931 35 19 0.543 74.2 6 4
               
Quinn 1932 39 29 0.744 64.1 5 4
               
Russell 1933 50 31 0.620 124.0 12 6
               
Malone 1936 35 25 0.714 134.2 12 4
               
Brown 1938 51 32 0.627 132.2 15 9
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Beggs 1940 37 27 0.730 76.2 12 3
               
Murphy 1941 35 31 0.886 77.1 8 3
               
Adams 1943 70 52 0.743 140.1 11 7
               
Heving 1944 63 38 0.603 119.2 8 3
               
Maltzberger 1944 46 41 0.891 91.1 10 5
               
Berry 1944 53 47 0.887 111.1 10 8
               
Karl 1945 67 41 0.612 180.2 8 8
               
Christopher 1947 44 38 0.864 80.2 10 7
               
Wilks 1948 57 27 0.474 130.2 6 6
               
Page 1949 60 48 0.800 135.1 13 8
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Konstanty 1950 74 62 0.838 152.0 16 7
               
Aloma 1951 25 11 0.440 69.1 6 0
               
Wilhelm 1952 71 32 0.451 159.1 15 3
               
Paige 1952 46 35 0.761 138.0 12 10
               
Kinder 1953 69 52 0.754 107.0 10 6
               
Mossi 1954 40 18 0.450 93.0 6 1
               
Sain 1954 45 39 0.867 77.0 6 6
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Narleski 1955 60 36 0.600 111.2 9 1
               
Craig 1955 24 4 0.167 90.2 5 3
               
Freeman 1956 64 47 0.734 108.2 14 5
               
Farrell 1957 52 32 0.615 83.1 10 2
               
Zuverink 1957 56 37 0.661 112.2 10 6
               
Hyde 1958 53 44 0.830 103.0 10 3
               
Duren 1959 41 29 0.707 76.2 3 6
               
Staley 1959 67 37 0.552 116.1 8 5
               
Face 1959 57 47 0.825 93.1 18 1
               
Henry 1959 65 36 0.554 134.1 9 8
               
Sherry 1959 23 10 0.435 94.1 7 2
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Brosnan 1960 57 27 0.474 99.0 7 2
               
McDaniel 1960 63 47 0.746 104.1 12 4
               
Arroyo 1961 65 54 0.831 119.0 15 5
               
Fox 1961 39 25 0.641 57.1 5 2
               
Radatz 1963 66 58 0.879 131.1 15 6
               
Perranoski 1963 69 47 0.681 129.0 16 3
               
Baldschum 1963 65 44 0.677 112.0 11 7
               
Lee 1964 64 39 0.609 137.0 6 5
               
Ellis 1964 52 32 0.615 122.1 10 3
               
Schultz 1964 30 22 0.733 49.1 1 3
               
D. Hall 1964 45 28 0.622 87.2 9 1
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Miller 1965 67 55 0.821 112.1 14 7
               
Regan 1966 65 48 0.738 116.2 14 1
               
Drabowsky 1967 43 26 0.605 95.1 7 5
               
Abernathy 1967 70 61 0.871 106.1 6 3
               
Wyatt 1967 60 43 0.717 93.1 10 7
               
Wood 1968 88 46 0.523 159.0 13 12
               
Segui 1968 52 24 0.462 83.0 6 5
               
V. Romo 1968 41 30 0.732 84.1 5 3
               
Tatum 1969 45 33 0.733 86.1 7 2
               
Watt 1969 56 41 0.732 71.0 5 2
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Williams 1970 68 36 0.529 113.1 10 1
               
McMahon 1970 61 44 0.721 94.1 9 5
               
Grant 1970 80 54 0.675 135.1 8 3
               
Sanders 1971 83 77 0.928 136.1 7 12
               
Carroll 1971 61 40 0.656 93.2 10 4
               
Giusti 1972 54 44 0.815 74.2 7 4
               
Knowles 1972 54 29 0.537 65.2 5 1
               
Brewer 1972 51 41 0.804 78.1 8 7
               
Hiller 1973 65 60 0.923 125.1 10 5
               
Jackson 1973 43 33 0.767 80.1 8 0
               
Borbon 1973 80 36 0.450 121.0 11 4
               
Beene 1973 19 11 0.579 91.0 6 0
               
Marshall 1974 106 83 0.783 208.1 15 12
               
Gossage 1975 62 49 0.790 141.2 9 8
               
Hrabosky 1975 65 41 0.631 97.1 13 3
               
McEnaney 1975 70 38 0.543 91.0 5 3
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Eastwick 1976 71 59 0.831 107.2 11 5
               
Johnson 1977 71 54 0.761 146.2 16 7
               
Lyle 1977 72 60 0.833 137.0 13 5
               
Sutter 1977 62 48 0.774 107.1 7 3
               
Blair 1978 70 56 0.800 100.1 7 6
               
Stanley 1978 52 35 0.673 141.2 15 2
               
Lolich 1978 20 7 0.350 34.2 2 1
               
Tekulve 1979 94 67 0.713 134.1 10 8
               
Lopez 1979 61 49 0.803 127.0 10 5
               
R. Davis 1979 44 21 0.477 85.1 14 2
               
E. Romo 1979 84 25 0.298 129.1 10 5
               
Monge 1979 76 53 0.697 131.0 12 10
               
Sosa 1979 62 41 0.661 96.2 8 7
               
Palmer 1979 36 13 0.361 122.2 10 2
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
McGraw 1980 57 48 0.842 92.1 5 4
               
Garvin 1980 61 24 0.393 82.2 4 7
               
Fingers 1981 47 41 0.872 78.0 6 3
               
Caudill 1982 70 64 0.914 95.2 12 9
               
Reardon 1982 75 53 0.707 109.0 7 4
               
L. Smith 1983 66 56 0.848 103.1 4 10
               
Stewart 1983 54 25 0.463 135.0 10 4
               
Quisenberry 1983 69 62 0.899 139.0 5 3
               
Orosco 1983 62 42 0.677 110.0 13 7
               
Hernandez 1984 80 68 0.850 140.1 9 3
               
Lamp 1985 53 11 0.208 105.2 11 0
               
D. Smith 1985 64 46 0.719 79.1 9 5
               
Lahti 1985 52 31 0.596 68.1 5 2
               
Moore 1985 65 57 0.877 103.0 8 8
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Eichhorn 1986 69 38 0.551 157.0 14 6
               
Righetti 1986 74 68 0.919 106.2 8 8
               
Todd Worrell 1986 74 60 0.811 103.2 9 10
               
Henke 1987 72 62 0.861 94.0 0 6
               
Burke 1987 55 30 0.545 91.0 7 0
               
Daley 1987 53 29 0.547 61.0 9 5
               
Henneman 1988 65 51 0.785 91.1 9 6
               
Parrett 1988 61 34 0.557 91.2 12 4
               
Pena 1988 60 31 0.517 94.1 6 7
               
Lancaster 1989 42 15 0.357 72.2 4 2
               
Russell 1989 71 66 0.930 72.2 6 4
               
McDowell 1989 69 56 0.812 92.0 4 8
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Eckersley 1990 63 61 0.968 73.1 4 2
               
Thigpen 1990 77 73 0.948 88.2 4 6
               
Nelson 1990 51 17 0.333 74.2 3 3
               
Dibble 1990 68 29 0.426 98.0 8 3
               
Henry 1991 32 25 0.781 36.0 2 1
               
Aguilera 1991 63 60 0.952 69.0 4 5
               
Ward 1992 79 35 0.443 101.1 7 4
               
Rojas 1992 68 26 0.382 100.2 7 1
               
Olin 1992 72 62 0.861 88.1 8 5
               
Wetteland 1993 70 58 0.829 85.1 9 3
               
Harvey 1993 59 54 0.915 69.0 1 5
               
Beck 1993 76 71 0.934 79.1 3 1
    &nbsnbsp;          
Martinez 1993 65 20 0.308 107.0 10 5
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Myers 1997 61 57 0.934 59.2 2 3
               
Hoffman 1998 66 61 0.924 73.0 4 2
               
Urbina 1998 64 59 0.922 69.1 6 3
               
Williamson 1999 62 40 0.645 93.1 12 7
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Rhodes 2001 71 16 0.225 68.0 8 0
               
Smoltz 2003 62 55 0.887 64.1 0 2
               
Tim Worrell 2003 76 64 0.842 78.1 4 4
               
Cormier 2003 65 21 0.323 84.2 8 0
               
Lidge 2004 80 44 0.550 94.2 6 5
               
Timlin 2005 81 27 0.333 80.1 7 3
               
Nathan 2006 64 61 0.953 68.1 7 0
               
Ryan 2006 65 57 0.877 72.1 2 2
               
Putz 2007 68 65 0.956 71.2 6 1
               
Rivera 2008 64 60 0.938 70.2 6 5
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Bell 2010 67 57 0.851 70.0 6 1
               
Soriano 2010 64 56 0.875 62.1 3 2
               
Aceves 2011 55 15 0.273 114.0 10 2
               
Axford 2011 74 63 0.851 73.2 2 2
               
Downs 2011 60 10 0.167 53.2 6 3
               
Cook 2012 71 23 0.324 73.1 6 2
               
Chapman 2012 68 52 0.765 71.2 5 5
               
Johnson 2012 71 63 0.887 68.2 2 1
               
Smyly 2013 63 9 0.143 76.0 6 0
               
Davis 2014 70 11 0.157 72.0 9 2
               
Clippard 2014 75 6 0.080 70.1 7 4
               
Rondon 2015 72 47 0.653 70.0 6 4
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Britton 2016 69 63 0.913 67.0 2 1
               
Osuna 2016 72 61 0.847 74.0 4 3
               
Brach 2016 71 16 0.225 79.0 10 4
               
Miller 2016 70 23 0.329 74.1 10 1
               
Robertson 2017 61 34 0.557 68.1 9 2
               
Jansen 2017 65 57 0.877 68.1 5 0
               
Albers 2017 63 23 0.365 61.0 7 2
               
Kimbrel 2017 51 67 0.761 69.0 5 0
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L
               
Morrow 2018 35 30 0.857 30.2 0 0
               
Trivino 2018 69 10 0.145 74.0 8 3
               
Treinen 2018 68 58 0.853 51.0 9 2
               
Jeffress 2018 73 24 0.329 76.2 8 1
               
Yarbrough 2018 38 3 0.079 147.1 16 6
               
Hader 2018 55 14 0.255 81.1 6 1
               
Strop 2018 60 20 0.333 59.2 6 1
               
Workman 2019 73 30 0.411 71.2 10 1
               
Robles 2019 71 51 0.718 72.2 5 1
               
Walden 2019 70 8 0.114 78.0 9 2
               
W.Smith 2019 63 52 0.825 65.1 6 0
               
Oberg 2019 49 18 0.367 56.0 6 1
               
Littell 2019 29 7 0.241 37.0 6 0
               
Pitcher Year GP GF GF% IP W L

Notes


Hughes appeared as a starter thirteen times.

Baumgartner and Bernhard appeared as a starter twelve times.

Wolfgang and Baskette appeared as a starter eleven times.

Craig and Coumbe appeared as a starter ten times.

Danforth, Malone, Stewart, Sherry, Luque and Conzelman appeared as a starter nine times.

Phillipe and Walsh appeared as a starter eight times.

Morton and Griffith appeared as a starter seven times.

Paige, Mays, Chappelle, Rommell and Yarbrough appeared as a starter six times.

Marberry, Mossi, Lee, Ellis and Dubuc appeared as a starter five times.

Leever, Aceves and Beene appeared as a starter four times.

Russell, Stanley, Adams and Keefe appeared as a starter three times.

Brown, McDaniel, Wood, Crandall, Brosnan, Lindsey, Karl, Wilks, Martinez, Clark and Lolich appeared as a starter two times.

Beggs, Quinn, Narleski, McGraw, Aloma, Robles, Ferguson, Vincente Romo, and Trivino appeared once as a starter.

Maltzberger, Hyde, Konstanty, Duren, Brosnan, Tekulve and Henke all wore glasses.


References


Nemec, David, and et al. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle. Collector's Edition ed., Publications International, Ltd, 1993. Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 25 Jun. 2021.

Thorn, John. The Relief Pitcher: Baseball's New Hero. E P Dutton, 1979.

Wancho, Joseph. “Mudcat Grant.” Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, 22 June 2021, sabr.org/bioproj/person/mudcat-grant/

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