R.I.P.: Jim 'Mudcat' Grant, Former MLB Player, Broadcaster

Jim 'Mudcat' Grant

The MLB Cleveland Indians held a moment of silence before Saturday’s game against Seattle to remember Jim “Mudcat” Grant.

Grant, who pitched for the Indians from 1958 to 1965, died Friday night in Los Angeles. He was 85. reports cleveland.com.

“The Cleveland Indians family is deeply saddened by the loss of Jim “Mudcat” Grant, a true fan favorite on both the playing field and in the broadcast booth,” said Bob DiBiasio, Indians senior vice president of public affairs. “A native of Lacoochee, Fla., he joined the Indians organization at the age of 18 in 1954, made his Major League debut in 1958, and left a legacy as large as his personality. To this day, Mudcat was a cherished member of the Indians Alumni Ambassador Program. We send our condolences to the entire Grant family , as well as to his many teammates and other organizations impacted by his 60-plus years in our game.”

Grant pitched for 14 years in the big leagues. His longest tenure was with the Indians from 1958 through 1964. He went on to pitch for the Twins, Pirates, A’s, Cardinals, Dodgers and Expos while compiling a record of 145-119 with a 3.63 ERA.

The 6-foot-1, 186-pound Grant went 67-63 with a 4.09 ERA in 227 games with the Indians. He made 165 starts and pitched 1,214 2/3 innings for Cleveland.

The Indians traded Grant to the Twins in 1964. In 1965, he went 21-7 with a 3.30 ERA to become the first Black pitcher in the American League to have a 20-win season. In the same year, he became the first Black pitcher in the AL to win a World Series game, pitching the Twins to wins in Game 1 and Game 6 against the Dodgers, while losing Game 4. He threw complete games in each victory and hit a home run in Game 6.

Grant retired after the 1971 season. He spent time as an analyst for the Indians on radio and TV. His work on the radio with former Plain Dealer sportswriter turned play-by-play man Harry Jones brought joy to Indians fans across the country.