The greatest pitcher you’ve never heard of is the 44th inductee into the Hall of Immortals.
Lefty Grove won exactly 300 games in his 17 year major league career. While 300 is a benchmark number, it is far less than many others great pitchers. What set Grove apart was his .680 winning percentage, highest among all 300 game winners, and 9th best all-time.
In 9 of his 17 seasons Grove had the lowest ERA in the American League. No other pitcher in history has as many ERA titles.
Want more? OK – in his first 7 seasons he led the AL in strikeouts, again something no other pitcher has ever done.
He topped 20 wins in 8 seasons, including 1931 when he won 31 games and lost only 4, a winning percentage of .886, second all-time for 20+ game winners (Ron Guidry’s 1978 season is first).
For his clear dominance on the mound, Lefty Grove is an Immortal
For some background on what this is, check out the introduction post here.
