Marvelous On The Giants In 1954, Part 1

Marv Grissom had a three-year wait between his first major league season and his second. After appearing in 27 games in 1949, Grissom's second big-league season, there was another gap (That of, again, three years) before Marv returned to the MLB.

But that didn't stop the late bloomer from thriving on the New York Giants from 1953-1957, and putting together a fairly good 1958 (By which time the Giants had moved out west). It was the Giants that first took notice of him. Marv's first year was at their California League, "C" level affiliation. Marv got into ten games with the San Bernardino Stars, going just 2-4 with an earned run average of 4.67.

Then came America's involvement in WWII. Grisson, who of course enlisted, would have to wait five years to return to the pros. Come 1946, Marv was 28 years old and back pitching in United States. The good news was, the five year wait seemed to have meant he was almost at the top of the mountain. '46 started out for Marv with the Jersey City Giants of the International League. This was "AAA" ball, meaning the pitcher was one step away from the big leagues. With Jersey, Marv was only 4-10, but that didn't stop the parent club from giving him a September look-see.

Though Grissom lost both his decisions with New York, in four outings (Three starts) their new pitcher showed promise. However, their would be not major league baseball for Marv the next season. The Giants assigned him to the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. Still, this was "AAA" level. Grissom's stint in the American Association wasn't what he or the Giants had hoped for. A losing record, 9-16. An earned run average over six.

But given a chance to redeem himself in 1948, Grissom came through. A new team, Sacramento. A familiar league (Pacific Coast), and the same level. Marv had his best year ever at the "AAA" level to that point. He won eleven games and had a respectable earned run average of 4.03.

Marv Grissom's first time around with the New York Giants organization ended after that season. The Detroit Tigers took him in the Rule Five draft. The good news was that Marv would spend almost all of 1949 with Detroit. The bad new was Grissom was still not ready for Prime Time.

His American League stint wasn't very good. 2-4, 6.41 ERA. However, Detroit wasn't ready to give up on him. Assigning Grissom to their top minor league team in 1950, the new decade seemed to suddenly transport the pitcher into his prime.

With Toledo of the American Association, Marv matched his win total in that league from three years earlier, nine. But, Grissom's record was about .500, and his earned run average with the Mud Hens was 3.46. This set the table for 1951, when the now 33-year old pitcher put it all together.

Detroit ended up dealing the promising pitcher to Seattle of the Pacific Coast League. And '51 was the year that Grissom proved he was too good for the "AAA" level. Marv became a 20-game winner that season with the Rainiers. That wasn't the only good news for budding star. Come October, the Chicago White Sox acquired him and Hal Brown.

And Chicago had no intentions of letting Marv play anywhere else but in the bigs in 1952. Meanwhile, the hot-shot rookie pitcher with Grissom's old club was some guy named Hoyt Wilhelm.

A dozen wins with the White Sox is all their new pitcher delivered that year. A 3.74 earned run average seemed to prove he was with Chicago to stay. But, by the next year Grissom had switched Sox. White, to Red. The deal was interesting, as once again Hal Brown was going with Marv Grissom to a new team. Also going to Boston was Bill Kennedy. Going to Chicago was one of the all-time most underrated players, shortstop Vern Stephens.

Boston won the deal. Stephens appeared in just 44 games with Chicago. He hit one HR, knocked in fourteen, and batted .186. By the end of June, his old club, the St. Louis Browns, acquired him on waivers. Just to prove Stephens wasn't totally washed up, look at his performance with the Browns: .346 batting average, four home runs and seventeen RBIs in 46 games!

The Boston Red Sox had dipped below .500 in 1952, 76-78. It was quite a downfall, but the team didn't have the bats they'd had in previous seasons. In 1953, the Red Sox won 84 games. Of the players acquired in the Vern Stephens deal, Hal Brown contributed the most that year. He won eleven games. Bill Kennedy appeared in just sixteen games and posted a 3.70 earned run average.

Though Grissom appeared in only one game in April for the Red Sox, it was a really good one. Sure, their new pitcher took a 1-0 loss, but looked real good. In May, Boston used him five times, all as a starter. Marv went 2-2 that month with an excellent earned run average, 2.73. He seemed destined to help the Red Sox more.

June was not so good. In his first three starts, Marv was hit hard to the tune of a 5.54 earned run average. In his fourth start, everything was going his way, as Boston took an early 3-0 lead on Detroit. The Tigers would surely regret letting Grissom go. Marv had to leave the game after three innings, as he took a grounder that hit him on the ankle. It had been shaping up to be a gem of an outing for Grissom. Detroit had not a single hit off him. Boston had quite a day overall. They score seventeen runs in the bottom of the seventh, and won the game 23-3. Remember, Ted Williams was off fighting in Korea and Dom DiMaggio had retired. Plus Bobby Doerr had played his last game two years prior. The team had been right there with Cleveland in the 1948 season, and with New York the next two years. But the loss of those players was huge.

More often than not in 1953, it was Boston's pitching that won them games. There was Mel Parnell, a 21-game winner. There was Mickey McDermott, who never quite fulfilled his promise in his career, but who still won 18 games that year. Then there were other pitchers who were very good. Sid Hudson was only 6-9, but his earned run average was just 3.52. Willard Nixon was 4-8, but his ERA was 3.93. In the four years that followed, Nixon won 11, 12, 9 and 12 games. Bill Henry was just 25 years old, but showing promise a-plenty with Boston in 1953. He won five games and posted an earned run average of 3.26. Henry was on his way to a very good career. When the starters couldn't win games, Elis Kinder did. The closer of Boston (Who had previously carved out quite a career as a starter) won ten games, saved 27, and posted an ERA of 1.85.

With all that pitching, and Marv Grissom slumping, there was trouble. Trouble for their new pitcher. Marv Grissom was not needed by the Boston Red Sox. By the end of June, he was placed on waivers, like Vern Stephens. 

So, amazingly, come July 1st, Marv Grissom came full circle. He was on the New York Giants. You kind of would have thought, "Why do the Giants want Marv Grissom?" First of all, didn't they all ready have a proven closer in Hoyt Wilhelm? As a 29-year old rookie in 1952, Wilhelm won fifteen games, saved eleven more and topped the Senior Circuit with an earned-run average of 2.43. Grissom, furthermore, was five years older than Wilhelm, and so far, had yet to prove himself at the big-league level.

But Wilhelm was having some off-field problems in 1953. So there was an opening for Grissom. And he took advantage of it. Giving the Giants the "You should have kept me all along" notion, Marv finished 1953 by going 4-2 with New York and posting a 3.95 earned run average. But New York wasn't like Boston. The Giants won only 70 games that year.

But in 1954, they won 97 games. And the pennant! Marv Grissom was their closer, and really came through. Don't feel too bad for Hoyt Wilhelm, though. Wilhelm won twelve games. Grissom won ten. Each made about the same number of appearances. Grissom got into 56 games, Wilhelm 57. Wilhelm finished 30 games, Grissom 36. They were the two go-to pitchers in the clutch. The only other New York pitcher with as much as nine games finished that year was Windy McCall.

But Marv Grissom ended up with the most innings pitched of any Giants reliever in 1954, exactly eleven frames more than Wilhelm (122.1 to 111.1). The starting staff of New York that year was awesome, one the Cleveland Indians would get to know all-to-well in that year's World Series.

Johnny Antonelli won 21 games and had a great earned run average, 2.30. Ruben Gomez won seventeen. Veteran Sal Maglie was great as always, going 14-6. Jim Hearn and Don Liddle rounded out the starting five. But as good as the starting staff was, there were many-a-game where either Wilhelm or Grissom came in to put out the fire.

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
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
S. Smith	1920	33	16	0.485	136.1	11	9
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
Grissom	1954	56	36	0.643	122.1	10	7
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
Richert	1970	50	25	0.500	54.2	7	2
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
Bedrosian	1982	64	30	0.469	137.2	8	6
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
D. Jones	1992	80	70	0.875	111.2	11	8
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
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
Jenks	2008	57	52	0.912	61.2	3	1
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
O'Day	2015	68	19	0.279	65.1	6	2
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
Whitlock	2021	46	11	0.239	73.1	8	4
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L

Notes

Hughes and Sherry Smith 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, Keefe, Bedrosian and Grissom 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

Golenbock, Peter. Red Sox Nation: An Unexpurgated History of the Boston Red Sox. 2nd ed., Triumph Books, 2005.


Halberstam, David. Summer of ‘49. Perennial, 2006. 


“Marv Grissom Minor League Baseball Statistics on Statscrew.com.” Stats Crew, Stats Crew, https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/stats/p-c24a00a7. 24 Mar. 2022.

Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, https://sabr.org/. 24 Mar. 2022.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 24 Mar. 2022.

Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/. 24 Mar. 2022.