Jim ‘Mudcat’ Grant, Minnesota Twins Mountainous, Dies at 85
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Longtime MLB pitcher Jim “Mudcat” Grant has died at the age of 85.
The Minnesota Twins, who Grant spent four seasons with from 1964-67, announced his dying on Twitter on Saturday:
Grant spent 14 seasons as an MLB pitcher, playing essentially for Cleveland and the Twins before spending time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 571 profession extraordinary-season appearances, alongside with 293 begins, Grant went 145-119 with a 3.63 ERA, 89 entire games, 54 saves and 1,267 strikeouts over 2,442 innings pitched.
Grant was as soon as named an All-Superstar for the first time in 1963 with Cleveland, but it was as soon as his second and closing All-Superstar season in 1965 that is totally remembered.
He posted a 21-7 file with a 3.30 ERA that season, ensuing in a sixth-arena pause in the American League MVP balloting. Grant also grew to develop into the first Murky pitcher in American League history to elevate 20 or extra games in a season.
Grant helped lead the Twins to the World Sequence that season, going 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA in three World Sequence begins, though Minnesota fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
As smartly as to being the winning pitcher in Game 6 of that sequence, Grant hit a three-scoot house scoot in the sport and helped pressure a decisive Game 7.
Whereas he was as soon as essentially a starter in some unspecified time in the future of the first half of his profession, Grant grew to turn right into a legitimate reliever in his later seasons, posting a 1.86 ERA and 24 saves in 1970 with the A’s and Pirates.
Grant was as soon as also a strong hitter for a pitcher, accruing a lifetime batting moderate of .178 with six house runs and 65 RBI.
Following his retirement as an active participant at the conclusion of the 1971 season, Grant went on to relieve as a broadcaster for Cleveland and the A’s, and he was as soon as also piece of Cleveland’s entrance arena of enterprise.