Grover Cleveland Alexander was one of the greatest pitchers ever to wear a major league baseball uniform. He holds Philadelphia Phillies records that will never be broken. It is a shame that there is not more of a tribute to him at Citizens Bank Park.
Grover Cleveland Alexander was born in Elba, Nebraska on February 26, 1887. Alexander was one of thirteen children and played semi pro ball in his youth, signing his first professional contract at age 20 in 1907 for $50 per month. He had a good first season, but his career was almost ended when he was struck by a thrown ball while base running. This incident set his career back, but he had recovered by 1910, become a star pitcher again, and was sold to the Philadelphia Phillies for $750.
Alexander made his Philadelphia debut during the pre-season 1911 City Series. Alexander pitched five-innings of no-hit, no-run baseball against the defending World Champion Philadelphia Athletics. He would make his official Major League debut on April 15, 1911.
In his rookie campaign, Alexander led the league with 28 wins which still stands as the modern day rookie record, 31 complete games, 367 innings pitched, and seven shutouts. He finished second in strikeouts and fourth in ERA. From 1912 to 1920, Alexander led the league in ERA five times (1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, and 1920), wins five times (1914-17, 1920), innings pitched 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, 1917, 1919). His 1916 total of 16 is a major league record. He won pitching's Triple Crown in 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1920. In 1915, he was instrumental in leading the Phillies to their first pennant and he pitched a record four one hitters.
After the 1917 season, the Phillies sold Alexander to the Cubs in fear that he would be lost to the army in World War I, but as Phillies owner William Baker admitted later, "I needed the money". Alexander was drafted, and spent most of the 1918 season in France as an artillery officer where he suffered from shell shock, partial hearing loss, and increasingly worse seizures. Known as a drinker, Alexander hit the bottle particularly hard after the war. He still gave Chicago several successful years and pitched for a triple crown in 1920. Finally tiring of his increasing drunkenness and insubordination, the Cubs sold him to the Cardinals in the middle of the 1926 season for the waiver price.
The Cardinals won the National League pennant that year and met the New York Yankees in the World Series, where Alexander had his finest moment. He pitched complete game victories in Games 2 and 6. According to teammate Bob O'Farrell in The Glory of Their Times, after the game six victory, Alexander 
managed to get drunk throughout the night and was still feeling the effects when he was sent out to pitch in relief in game 7. Alexander came to the game in the seventh inning after starter Jesse Haines developed a blister, with the Cardinals ahead 3-2, the bases loaded and two outs. Facing Yankee slugger Tony Lazzeri, Alexander struck him out and then held the Yankees scoreless for two more innings to preserve the win and give St. Louis the championship. He had one last 20-win season for the Cardinals in 1927, but his continued drinking finally did him in. He left major league baseball after a brief return to the Phillies in 1930, and pitched for the House of David until 1938.
Alexander attended game three of the 1950 World Series at Yankee Stadium where he saw the Phillies lose to the Yankees. He died less than a month later on on November 4, 1950 in St. Paul, Nebraska at the age of 63.
A movie was produced about Alexander's Life in 1952 called "The Winning Team". Ronald Reagan played Alex while his wife was played by Doris Day. Much was made of Alexander's drinking but as the movie portrayed and many believe, he did not drink as often as many believed and used drunkenness as an excuse to hide his many seizures and health problems related to them.
Grover Cleveland Alexander's Phillies Records:
Single Season
ERA - 1.22 1915
Shut Outs - 16 1916
All Time
Winning Percentage - .676
Shutouts - 61
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