Grover Cleveland Alexander was one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. These days, it is hard to remember or compare his exploits to contemporaries, but few pitchers ever experienced his level of success.
After a promising professional start, his career was almost haulted in 1909 when he was struck by a ball while running the bases. It took him almost a full year to recover, but he did, and by 1911 he was in the majors.
Up to 1917, he would be the go-to pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. His final three seasons for the Phillies, he won the pitching Triple Crown.
After 1917, he was sold to the Cubs because the Phillies feared they would lose him to World War I anyway. Sure enough, in 1918 he headed to fight for the country, where he would become a changed man.
The war hit Alexander hard, as he suffered from loss of hearing, shell shock and alcoholism (dealing with the stress). Although he pitched pretty well for the Cubs upon returning (he won the 1920 Triple Crown), the Cubs sold him to the Cardinals during the 1926 season.
Ironically, that season he would help the Cardinals win a World Series, Alexander's only ring. After throwing complete game wins in Game 2 and 5 of the World Series, Alexander celebrated with alcohol after the wins. After Game 6, he was so drunk from partying the entire night that he was still feeling it during Game 7.
Regardless, the Cardinals used him in relief with the bases loaded in the 7th inning in a 3-2 game. He pitched out of the jam, and then threw two more scoreless innings to win the game and series.
Alexander would retire in 1930, and then be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938. He is still referred to as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history.
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