Scroll Down to Read Today’s Essay

Subscribe to Baseball History Comes Alive for automatic updates. As a Free Bonus, you’ll get instant access to my Special Report: Gary’s Handy Dandy World Series Reference Guide!

 Grover Cleveland “Pete” Alexander Photo Gallery
Click on any image below to see photos in full size and to start Photo Gallery:

Has the Game Changed or What??

Pete Alexander Pitches Two Complete Games In A Doubleheader! 

“Grover Cleveland Alexander wasn’t drunk out there on the mound. He was an epileptic. Old Pete would fall down with a seizure between innings, then go back and pitch another shutout.” -Ty Cobb, speaking of Grover Cleveland “Old Pete” Alexander

“The Cubs finished last last year and if they finish last again, I’d rather it be without Alexander.” –Cubs’ manager Joe McCarthy in 1926, speaking of Pete Alexander.

As is my usual custom, today I perused the National Pastime, This Day in Baseball History website looking for interesting things to write about. I came across this gem which occurred exactly 105 years ago today, on September 3, 1917:

Grover Cleveland Alexander goes the distance in both games of the Phillies’ doubleheader sweep of Brooklyn at Ebbets Field. In his 18 innings of work, the Philadelphia right-hander limits the Dodgers to seven hits en route to posting 5-0 and 9-3 victories in the twin bill.

Yes…you read that right. Ol’ Pete started and finished both games of a doubleheader that day.  I guess we can conclude that Phillies’ manager Pat Moran had a lot of confidence in Pete that day…and that Pete felt pretty strong! There have been other instances of a ballplayer pitching both games of a doubleheader; but I think, like the Joe DiMaggio hitting streak, we can safely place this one in the It’ll Never Happen Again in the Modern Game file. 

In the featured photo above, we see a beautiful colorization by our resident baseball artist, Don Stokes, of Alex and Phillies’ manager Pat Moran.

Pete’s Hall of Fame Career

Over his 20-year career (1911-1930), Pete went 373-208 (.642) with a career 2.56 ERA and 2198 strikeouts. His 373 wins are third all-time behind Cy Young (511) and Walter Johnson (417) and tied for first all-time in the National League with Christy Mathewson.

Although he is usually remembered as the ace of the Phillies staff (1911-17, 1930), including their pennant-winning year of 1915, he also pitched for the Cubs (1918-1926), and Cardinals (1926-29).

The highlight of his career was probably his starring role of the 1926 World Series when Cardinals’ manager Rogers Hornsby called him out of the bullpen in the seventh inning of the seventh game, possibly nursing a hang-over (see details below). He proceeded to strike out the dangerous slugger Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded and preserved the game and Series win for the Cardinals.

Other career milestones for Old Pete include being a three-time pitching Triple Crown winner, six-time National League wins leader, four-time National League ERA leader, and six-time National League shutout leader. Among his many magnificent seasons, his best year has to be 1915 when he posted a 31-10 record (.756), with a 1.11 ERA and 12 shutouts in 376 innings. In what has to be one of the greatest five-year spans in major league history (1913-1917), he went a combined 143-58 (.711), with a 2.01 ERA, averaging 363 innings pitched each year.

Pete topped 300 innings seven times in his career and led the National League in innings pitched seven times. His 90 career shutouts are a National League record and second all-time behind Walter Johnson’s 110. He’s also tenth all-time in innings pitched (5190). In seven postseason games, he went 3-2 with a 3.56 ERA.

Pete’s Role in the Classic 1926 World Series

With the Yankees ahead three games to two after five games in the 1926 World Series, Cardinals’ player-manager Rogers Hornsby chose Grover Cleveland “Ol’ Pete” Alexander to start Game Six, which he won in a lopsided 10-2 complete-game victory. This was Alex’s second complete game of the Series. He had also won Game Two, a 6-2 four-hitter.

Ol’ Pete To the Rescue!

Then in the decisive Game Seven, Hornsby called upon him again, this time in relief of Jesse Haines in the top of the seventh inning with the game on the line. With two outs and the bases loaded, the Cardinals were clinging to a precarious 3-2 lead with the dangerous future Hall of Famer Tony Lazzeri striding to the plate. There’s always been debate as to whether Alexander was sleeping off a hangover when Hornsby made the call. With two complete games under his belt, the 38-year-old former Phillie and Cub star had done his share and wasn’t expecting to be needed.

Rudely stirred awake from his bullpen “siesta” (“Pete, wake up!…Rajah wants ya…now!!!”), he was unwittingly thrust into the most climactic moment of the entire Series. God only knows what was going through his mind as he sauntered in from the pen with his slow, deliberate strides.

Pete settled in on the mound. Yankee fans held their breath as Lazzeri hit a long drive that just curved foul and nearly left the park. Recovering from this close shave with disaster, Pete reached back to deliver whatever was left in his tank. Exuberant relief soon followed for the Cardinals as Pete struck out the dangerous Lazzeri. Hornsby’s gamble had paid off and the Cardinals were out of the inning.

Pete then proceeded to retire the Yankees over the next two innings without a run to preserve the win. Ol’ Pete had come through for Hornsby one more time. The Alexander-Lazzeri confrontation soon became one of the most storied in all of World Series lore.

In 1999 he ranked 12th on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Pete was elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1938, the third year of the Hall, the only player elected that year. His jersey has been retired by the Phillies.

So today we gladly shine our baseball spotlight on one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, Grover Cleveland “Ol’ Pete” Alexander.

Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: Pete Alexander colorization by Don Stokes; All others found on Google search

Information Excerpts edited from the Grover Cleveland Alexander Wikipedia page. 

Statistics from Baseball-Refrence.com

Subscribe to our website, “Baseball History Comes Alive!” with over 1200 fully categorized baseball essays and photo galleries, now closing in on the one million hits mark with 857K hits and over 700 subscribers: www.baseballhistorycomesalive.com