The 22nd and 24th President of the United States inspired the name of Grover Cleveland Alexander. He first joined the Phillies in 1911, stayed until 1917, and then came back for a few games in 1930. With the Phillies, he went 190-91 with a 2.18 ERA and a WHIP of 1.075.
Pete wore the same oversized uniform for nearly a year, and his cap was always too small and worn crooked. He led the Phillies to their first World Series appearance in 1915 and won 31, 33, and 30 games over the next three seasons. William Baker, owner of the Phillies, sold him to the Cubs after the 1917 season because “he needed the money.”
Pete’s life was dramatically altered by two events that occurred before he signed with the Cubs. He wed Amy Marie Arrants and then joined the US Army, serving as a sergeant with the 342nd Artillery in France for the better part of 1918. Alexander suffered a lot because of the war. He was exposed to mustard gas and had a bomb go off near him, which caused him to lose part of his hearing and part of his ear.
What Caused The Demise Of Grover Cleveland Alexander?
Before being enlisted into the U.S. Army, “Ole Pete” enjoyed drinking heavily. After returning from the war, his drinking issue worsened; he suffered from epilepsy, but little was known about the condition at the time, so his periods of intoxication during seizures were misunderstood.
Pete played with the Chicago Cubs from 1918 until 1925, compiling an overall record of 128-83 with a 2.84 earned run average. His addiction to the alcohol ultimately destroyed him. In fact, the Cubs went so far as to hire a bodyguard whose main job it would be to keep Pete from drinking. His wife Amy accompanied him on his trips in an effort to curb his addiction. Neither worked out, and by the middle of the 1926 season, Joe McCarthy, manager of the Chicago Cubs, had had enough of Pete and traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals.
During his time with the Cardinals (1926-1929), Alexander participated in two World Series and won one of them. Pete’s story of the 1926 World Series’ dramatic conclusion is among his most well-known works. In Games 2 and 6, Pete pitched a perfect game and won both.
Check out the previous posts with respect of cause of de@th of other people:
- Tish Naghise Cause Of Death: Tish Naghise Was Died?
- Johnny Cash Cause Of Death: How Did Johnny Cash Die? Was It Heartache?
Pete supposedly went on a MAJOR bender after winning Game 6 of the World Series since he knew he wouldn’t have to throw again. Alexander was sent in to pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning with the Cardinals leading the Yankees, 3-2, and the bases loaded and two out. Pete may have still been intoxicated when he entered the game. For most of Game 7 of the World Series, he was undoubtedly dozing off in the bullpen.
Tony Lazzeri, who had 117 RBIs that year, was the first batter Alexander faced. On a very close foul ball, Lazzeri was about to hit a grand slam, but Ole Pete struck him out to end the inning. With the Cards up 3-2 with Babe Ruth at the plate, he cruised through the eighth and first two batters of the nine. Pete exclaimed after the game ended. After Ruth foolishly tried to steal second and was caught, the game and series were over, and the Cardinals won the 1926 World Series.
Again in 1927, he won 20 games, and the following year, the Cardinals reached the World Series, where they were swept by the Yankees. In 1930, “Alexander the Great” pitched for the Phillies again; it was his final season in the Major Leagues, and he finished 0-3 with a 9.97 ERA. The next two decades were a nightmare for Pete.
His wife left him twice, once in 1929 and then again in 1941. Pete’s last few decades were, to put it mildly, not easy. He went in and out of sanatoriums and did odd jobs like a flea circus, bartending, and helping out at a hotel. It grew so bad that Cardinals president Sam Breadon, National League president Ford Frick, and baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis unanimously decided to pay Alexander a $50 monthly pension.
Alex was forbidden to keep the funds, so they were transferred to his “handlers” to cover Ole Pete’s living expenses. They thought he’d blow all his cash on booze, which is exactly what he would have done. You can see the tweet below in which the headlines for coverage of Grover Cleveland Alexander’s de@th had a weird focus.
On this day in 1950, the headlines for coverage of Grover Cleveland Alexander’s death had a weird focus https://t.co/JNnLTsj3No pic.twitter.com/02TAECsA33
— Franzke & LA (@FranzkeLA) November 5, 2021
When Alexander was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1938, he finally had a moment to himself. “I’m in the Hall of Fame… and I’m proud to be there, but I can’t eat the Hall of Fame,” Pete replied when asked how he felt about being inducted. He continued his downward spiral for another 12 years, even after receiving the sport’s highest prize. He got skin cancer on his ear, so it had to be removed. He spent most of his last years asking for money on the street so that he could buy alcohol.
In 1950, Alexander made his final public appearance at Yankee Stadium against the Phillies. Pete died peacefully in a St. Paul, Minnesota, hotel room on November 4, 1950. Cardiac arrest was cited as the official cause of de@th, but it is more likely that he died from an epileptic seizure or a drunken tumble in his room. Years of hard living and drinking too much were eventually his downfall.
Pete was laid to rest in his family plot at Elmwood Cemetery in the St. Paul area with full military honors. In baseball, Alexander thought that less was more. He would frequently remark, “What’s the use of doing in three pitches what you can do in one?” but he believed he could get more outs with less pitches if he could place the ball where he wanted and the hitter did not. “He could pitch into a tin can,” Grantland Rice, a sports writer, once said about Pete. “His control was always amazing—the best I’ve ever seen.” Sadly, Pete was never able to beat his alcoholism, and it ultimately led to his poor and lonely demise.
If you want latest information about celebrity de@ths, suspected causes of de@th, and more, you may follow us our website serveupdate.com and read our most recent postings.