Evening star., 1940-04-23
The
SPORTLlGHT
Grove Ruted AII-Time
Ace Of Southpows
BY GRANTLAND RICE,

Special Correspondent OF The Star.
NEW YORK, April % (NA.NA).
The non-cambatants from this
sporting turmoil can supply you
more trouble than all the athletes
combined. Here, for example, is one
who wants to know why we haven't
given him and others more facts
about one Robert Moses Grove, and
just how should Grove be rated with
the great left-handers of all time.
Our rating Of the top left-handers
Of all time would be in this order
/. Lefty Grove.
2. Rube Waddell.
3. Carl Hubbell
4. Herb Pennock.
S. Eddie Plank.
While Hubbell Pennock and Plank
had more team value, through the
years, than Waddell had, the
gangling Rube was one of the great
pitchers of all time when it came
to the needed stuff that makes for
greatness. Bill Hanna, one of the
best OF all baseball students, rated
Pennock on top of the ~f-side
peggers. Hubbell, Pennock and
Plank were three headline pitchers,
the answer to managers prayer
But for combination of team
value and brilliancy combined, Lefty
Grove must get the nomination and
he should get it by acclamation.
Babe Ruth, a left-hander, led all
sets on the winning side, but only
for a matter of five years, while
Grove now is in his 18th major
league campaign. The Big Babe
drew enough accolades from his bat
He might have broken all records
through full pitching career. But
he wasn't around long enough on
the mound to be rated with the
five we named on top.
WoddeII, Thought Washed Up,
III, Fans Is Athletics
I happened to have the melan-
choly duty of batting against Wad-
dell in 1898, being smart enough
to keep both feet in the water
bucket. In one of his final games
when he was supposed to be all
through, he pitched for the St. Louis
Browns and struck out 16 Athletics
That's how good he was, hampered
then with tuberculosis.
Bob Grove opened his 2lst year as
a professional pitcher a few days
ago with two-hit shutout. He let
fly his first professional pitch as a
member of the Martinsburg team,
Blue Ridge League, back in 1920
Working with Baltimore for five
years he won 108 games, losing
only SO, in fast league. Winning
average-.750.
So Grove was 25 years old, four
years older than Bob Feller is TODAY,
when he reported to Connie Mack's
Athletics in 1925. Bob Feller got the
big league Jump on Grove by a
matter of eight years.
Feller is nearly 10 years younger
than Grove-yet together they al
lowed only two hits in their l94U
debuts. That's something you may
think about when you add up Then
and Now.
The remarkable feature of Groves
career belongs to the big league. In
the spread OF Is years the tall and
willowy left-hander has won 286
games with only 1913 defeats tor a
grand average of .695. This in
cludes his first sore-arm season
with Boston when he only won eight
games.
He has worked in 573 games in
his big league charge and, Including
al games, the tWo-hit shutout he
Hred last week was his 664th pro-
fessional start.
We try to oblige. Our correspond
ent wanted to know more about
Bob Grove and these are important
facts.
my balplayer who can pitch a
2-hit shutout on cold day in the
big league in his 664th start has to
be something exceptional. In my
book he has to be the greatest left
handler that ever lived.
Grove was supposed to be all
through six years ago, when he went
TO Boston. I recall a converse ton
with Lefty in Atlanta in April that
year. He could barely lift his left
arm.
Il don't know whether it's nv arm
or my teeth" he told me. MAYBE
It's BOTH
This was the longest speech I'd
ever heard Grove make.
He pitched in pain most of that
year, and he won and lost eight
games. The general idea was that
Tom Yawkey, who'll give you his
right or left arm for any arm that
can win him 20 games, had pur-
chased an ex-cyclone that had
turned into a waning zephyr.
Groves Earned Run Averooe
Heads AII-Time List
But in his last five years with
Boston Grove has worked at a $40
clip-he has showed through 83 win
ming games. In the last two years
he has won 20 games and dropped
only 8. And this doesn't include his
opening 2-hit salute for 1910.
His top year was 1881. when he
won 81 games and dropped only 4.
Average 1886
His earned-run average over the
years heads the all-time list, in
cluding the era of the lively ball.
All in all, quite pitcher-this
Robert Moses Lefty Grove-the
Lonaconing Lancer from Maryland.
Colder under fire than the heart
Of an iceberg, smart and cunning
with plenty left on the ball, Grove
should make 1910 one of his best
years. For he has real ball club to
back him up, ball club that can
give him the needed runs to work
on, plus flrst-class defense in both
infleld and outfield.
In his 41st year-born March 6.