Focusing on a curveball after injury
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Lefty Grove is one of the best pitchers ever, winning 300 games. However, 97 of those wins came after he reinvented himself as a pitcher out of necessity. When he was younger, he was a fireballer known for his fastballs, leading in strikeouts his first seven years in the American League. Due to an elbow injury, Lefty had his worst performance in 1934 at 34 years old, pitching to a 6.50 ERA.
Losing enough on his fastball, Grove would remake himself as a pitcher that offseason, working on his curveball. That change would be sufficient, as he would win four more ERA titles in the next five years.
Quotes
A pitcher has time enough to get smarter after he loses his speed.
Lefty Grove
He has learned to think,...He [now] relies on his pitching brain.
Connie Mack
References
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Baseball Reference
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Lefty Grove Stats & Facts
The end result: an astronomical 6.50 ERA and a long stint on the disabled list. That off-season, just as he did following his rookie campaign a decade earlier, Grove set out to reinvent himself, developing a slow curve to go along with a formidable forkball. The venerable hurler later explained: “A pitcher has time enough to get smarter after he loses his speed.”
This Day In Baseball
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Just because: Lefty Grove's throwing motion
Still, Grove won an astounding nine ERA titles during his career, and his lifetime ERA+ of 148 ranks fourth on the all-time list. When you think of the best of the best, Grove should come to mind.
CBS Sports
