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While the number of wins a pitcher accumulates during a career can be a measure of how good a pitcher is, ERA and winning percentage are usually considered better barometers. If you believe in the latter argument, Lefty Grove was the greatest pitcher of all-time.
As a miner in the early 1900s, Robert “Lefty” Grove decided in 1920 to give baseball a shot. For 4-1/2 years, he toiled in the Baltimore Orioles’ farm system until Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics purchased his contract for a hefty $100,600 in 1924.
Grove struggles his first two seasons for Philadelphia, but found his groove in 1927, winning 20 games. In 1928, he led the American League in wins, a feat he would achieve three more times in his career.
From 1929 through 1931, Grove hit on all cylinders. He won his first of six American League winning-percentage titles and his fifth of seven consecutive strikeout titles in 1929. In 1930, he led his team to a World Series win over
the Cardinals with a 28-5 record. He also lead the league in winning-percentage, ERA, and strikeouts. In 1931, he won the first ever American League MVP award with a 31-4 mark and an ERA (2.06) that was more than two runs below the league average.
Grove was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 1934, where he won four more ERA titles. He won his 300th game in 1941 and retired after that season. Lefty Grove was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.
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