Episode description

Who’s the best pitcher baseball ever seen? There are a lot of names to cosndier. Who's the best left-handed pitcher baseball ever seen? That list is a lot shorter, and near the top - perhaps at the very top - is Lefty Grove.

There’s no louder-than-life personality to help us remember him by; there’s no stunning images on early TV coverage, nor are there mythical stories to pass on. As the image of baseball moved on in the fifties, the exploits of Grove and many of his compatriots faded from sight.

Yet Grove's numbers show we're missing something. He has 300 career wins, is a four-times annual winner in the American League, nine-times annual ERA leader, and a seven-times strikeout leader. Throw in six All-Star call-ups. Add that up, and you have a storied career.

We join Grove on the mound in 1936. He's moved on from the record-breaking days of the Philadelphia Athletic to the Boston Red Sox… and still breaking records. 1935 saw a 20-12 season a league-winning ERA of 2.90. 1936 is shaping up to be more of the same.

The Chicago White Sox welcome Grove and the Red Sox, as George Watson and Hal Totten take us through the plays.

You can find the boxscore here:

⁠https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA193607310.shtml⁠

This game was played on 31 July, 1936.