What years did Lefty Grove play?

Lefty Grove played in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1941.

Was Lefty Grove a pitcher?

Yes. Lefty Grove pitched in the major leagues, recording 300 wins and 2266 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Lefty Grove hit?

Lefty Grove hit 15 career home runs with 202 hits.

What teams did Lefty Grove play for?

Lefty Grove played for 2 teams: the Philadelphia Athletics (1925–1933) and the Boston Red Sox (1934–1941).

How many MVP awards did Lefty Grove win?

Lefty Grove won 1 MVP award, in 1931.

What awards did Lefty Grove win?

Lefty Grove won the MVP award (1931) and 2 pitching Triple Crowns (1930 and 1931). He was selected to 6 All-Star Games.

What were Lefty Grove's career stats?

In 616 games, Lefty Grove went 300-141 with a 3.06 ERA, 2,266 strikeouts, 3,940.2 innings pitched, and 55 saves. At the plate he had 202 hits and 15 home runs.

What position did Lefty Grove play?

Lefty Grove played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Lefty Grove and how much did he weigh?

Lefty Grove was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 190 pounds.

What was Lefty Grove's career ERA?

Lefty Grove finished with a 3.06 career ERA, going 300-141 with 2,266 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Lefty Grove have?

Lefty Grove recorded 2,266 career strikeouts.

How many All-Star Games did Lefty Grove make?

Lefty Grove was selected to 6 All-Star Games.

Lefty Grove

Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1925-1941)

Lefty Grove was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1941 for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 17 seasons. Across 616 career appearances, he went 300-141 with a 3.06 ERA, 2,266 strikeouts, and 55 saves. He also batted .148 with 15 home runs. Lefty Grove was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947 and was a 6-time All-Star, an MVP, and a 2-time Pitching Triple Crown. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 81320.8.

W (Wins):: Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):: Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):: For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):: Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated October 15, 2026

⭐ Hall of Fame 1947

W–L 300–141

ERA 3.06

WHIP 1.28

SO 2,266

Pitcher PIV 81320.8

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: L / L
Height / Weight: 6'3" / 190 lb
Born: 3/6/1900 in Lonaconing, MD, USA
Died: 5/22/1975 in Norwalk, OH, USA
MLB Debut: 1925-04-14
Last Game: 1941-09-28
Hall of Fame: Inducted 1947 (BBWAA)
Awards: 6× All-Star · MVP · 2× Pitching Triple Crown

Full name: Robert Moses Grove

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Career Pitching Statistics

Lefty Grove — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
300	141	616	457	298	35	55	3940.2	3,849	1,339	162	1,187	2,266	3.06	81320.8

Career ERA 3.06 vs. league average 4.28 across their career seasons — 28.5% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lefty Grove Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1925	PHA	AL	10	12	45	18	5	0	1	197.0	207	104	131	116	4.75	4.55 (-4%)	-3297.6
1926	PHA	AL	13	13	45	33	20	1	6	258.0	227	72	101	194	2.51	4.11 (+39%)	6776.2
1927	PHA	AL	20	13	51	28	14	1	9	262.1	251	93	79	174	3.19	4.08 (+22%)	7591.1
1928	PHA	AL	24	8	39	31	24	4	4	261.2	228	75	64	183	2.58	4.13 (+38%)	8270.0
1929	PHA	AL	20	6	42	37	19	2	4	275.1	278	86	81	170	2.81	4.60 (+39%)	8737.6
1930	PHA	AL	28	5	50	32	22	2	9	291.0	273	82	60	209	2.54	4.80 (+47%)	12385.5
1931	PHA	AL	31	4	41	30	27	4	5	288.2	249	66	62	175	2.06	4.10 (+50%)	8190.8
1932	PHA	AL	25	10	44	30	27	4	7	291.2	269	92	79	188	2.84	4.13 (+31%)	6872.0
1933	PHA	AL	24	8	45	28	21	2	6	275.1	280	98	83	114	3.20	3.86 (+17%)	1885.4
1934	BOS	AL	8	8	22	12	5	0	0	109.1	149	79	32	43	6.50	4.29 (-52%)	1000.2
1935	BOS	AL	20	12	35	30	23	2	1	273.0	269	82	65	121	2.70	4.35 (+38%)	7302.7
1936	BOS	AL	17	12	35	30	22	6	2	253.1	237	79	65	130	2.81	4.59 (+39%)	4809.4
1937	BOS	AL	17	9	32	32	21	3	0	262.0	269	88	83	153	3.02	4.34 (+30%)	6197.7
1938	BOS	AL	14	4	24	21	12	1	1	163.2	169	56	52	99	3.08	4.35 (+29%)	3632.9
1939	BOS	AL	15	4	23	23	17	2	0	191.0	180	54	58	81	2.54	4.28 (+41%)	2946.4
1940	BOS	AL	7	6	22	21	9	1	0	153.1	159	68	50	62	3.99	4.21 (+5%)	-2587.1
1941	BOS	AL	7	7	21	21	10	0	0	134.0	155	65	42	54	4.37	3.94 (-11%)	607.5
Career · 17 seasons			300	141	616	457	298	35	55	3,940.2	3,849	1,339	1,187	2,266	3.06	—	81,321

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Lefty Grove — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
619	1,369	119	202	27	5	15	121	1	105	593	.148	.209	.207	.417	-9,247

Career AVG .148 vs. league average .279 across their career seasons — 47.0% below league average.

Career OBP .209 vs. league average .343 across their career seasons — 38.9% below league average.

Career SLG .207 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — 47.6% below league average.

Career OPS .417 vs. league average .739 across their career seasons — 43.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lefty Grove Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1925	PHA	AL	45	65	3	8	0	0	0	3	0	1	26	.123	.288 (-57%)	.349 (-61%)	.407 (-70%)	.756 (-66%)	-707.7
1926	PHA	AL	45	81	6	8	1	1	0	6	0	5	42	.099	.279 (-65%)	.345 (-56%)	.390 (-65%)	.735 (-61%)	-816.1
1927	PHA	AL	51	80	8	10	1	0	2	8	1	8	30	.125	.282 (-56%)	.344 (-41%)	.392 (-46%)	.736 (-43%)	-571.1
1928	PHA	AL	39	88	10	15	2	1	1	6	0	10	41	.170	.280 (-39%)	.342 (-23%)	.395 (-37%)	.737 (-31%)	-432.3
1929	PHA	AL	42	102	13	22	3	0	1	15	0	6	33	.216	.289 (-25%)	.353 (-27%)	.415 (-34%)	.769 (-31%)	-528.9
1930	PHA	AL	50	110	11	22	3	2	2	17	0	7	46	.200	.293 (-32%)	.354 (-30%)	.429 (-26%)	.784 (-28%)	-547.8
1931	PHA	AL	41	115	8	23	3	0	0	12	0	3	48	.200	.276 (-28%)	.338 (-35%)	.388 (-42%)	.726 (-39%)	-714.1
1932	PHA	AL	44	107	10	18	1	0	4	12	0	5	51	.168	.275 (-39%)	.335 (-39%)	.391 (-26%)	.726 (-32%)	-563.3
1933	PHA	AL	45	105	9	9	4	0	1	7	0	4	43	.086	.270 (-68%)	.329 (-64%)	.377 (-60%)	.707 (-62%)	-1030.1
1934	BOS	AL	22	37	4	6	1	0	1	4	0	2	13	.162	—	—	—	—	0.0
1935	BOS	AL	35	89	5	7	1	1	1	5	0	13	49	.079	.279 (-72%)	.342 (-43%)	.399 (-63%)	.742 (-54%)	-792.7
1936	BOS	AL	35	80	5	11	4	0	0	5	0	6	34	.138	.283 (-52%)	.349 (-41%)	.404 (-54%)	.753 (-48%)	-640.9
1937	BOS	AL	32	91	6	13	1	0	0	6	0	12	39	.143	.276 (-48%)	.342 (-29%)	.398 (-61%)	.740 (-46%)	-671.1
1938	BOS	AL	24	54	8	8	0	0	0	8	0	7	25	.148	.272 (-46%)	.341 (-28%)	.392 (-62%)	.734 (-46%)	-392.5
1939	BOS	AL	25	67	3	9	0	0	1	5	0	9	26	.134	.274 (-51%)	.342 (-31%)	.393 (-54%)	.735 (-43%)	-462.9
1940	BOS	AL	23	53	4	8	0	0	1	2	0	3	29	.151	.267 (-44%)	.335 (-41%)	.387 (-46%)	.722 (-44%)	-375.9
1941	BOS	AL	21	45	6	5	2	0	0	0	0	4	18	.111	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 17 seasons			619	1,369	119	202	27	5	15	121	1	105	593	.148	—	—	—	—	-9,247

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Lefty Grove — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
8	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Lefty Grove — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	SO	AVG
1931	WS	PHA	3	10	7	.000
1930	WS	PHA	3	6	3	.000
1929	WS	PHA	2	2	1	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Lefty Grove — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
4	2	8	5	2	51.1	46	10	6	36	1.75

Playoff Pitching by Year

Lefty Grove — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1931	WS	PHA	2	1	3	3	0	26.0	28	7	2	16	2.42
1930	WS	PHA	2	1	3	2	0	19.0	15	3	3	10	1.42
1929	WS	PHA	0	0	2	0	2	6.1	3	0	1	10	0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1235 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Lefty Grove — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	292	657	64	111	9	72	.169
Away	327	712	55	91	6	52	.128

Pitching — Home / Away

Lefty Grove — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	290	1979.0	1961	669	550	1171	3.04
Away	326	1959.1	1886	660	634	1094	3.03

Last 10 Games — Batting

Lefty Grove — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	2B	BB	SO
1941-09-28	BOS	PHA	L	0	0	0	0	0	0
1941-08-27	BOS	DET	L	0	0	0	0	0	0
1941-08-20	BOS	SLA	L	0	0	0	0	0	0
1941-08-16	BOS	MIN	W	2	1	1	1	0	1
1941-08-09	BOS	MIN	L	1	0	0	0	1	0
1941-08-02	BOS	DET	L	2	0	0	0	1	2
1941-07-25	BOS	CLE	W	4	0	1	1	0	1
1941-07-18	BOS	CHW	L	3	0	0	0	0	2
1941-07-11	BOS	DET	L	3	0	0	0	0	1
1941-07-03	BOS	PHA	W	4	0	0	0	0	2

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Lefty Grove — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1941-09-28	BOS	PHA	L	1.0	4	3	3	0	0	0
1941-08-27	BOS	DET	—	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0
1941-08-20	BOS	SLA	L	0.2	4	5	0	1	0	0
1941-08-16	BOS	MIN	—	6.0	9	6	4	1	6	0
1941-08-09	BOS	MIN	—	7.0	16	6	6	2	2	1
1941-08-02	BOS	DET	L	9.0	8	6	6	2	1	1
1941-07-25	BOS	CLE	W	9.0	12	6	5	1	6	1
1941-07-18	BOS	CHW	L	9.2	7	4	2	1	1	0
1941-07-11	BOS	DET	L	8.0	6	2	2	3	4	0
1941-07-03	BOS	PHA	W	9.0	10	2	2	0	2	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Lefty Grove — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	616	0	65	722	38	26

Season-by-Season Fielding

Lefty Grove — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1925	PHA	P	45	6	55	2	3
1926	PHA	P	45	6	53	3	3
1927	PHA	P	51	8	55	9	2
1928	PHA	P	39	6	40	1	0
1929	PHA	P	42	3	41	2	0
1930	PHA	P	50	6	53	2	1
1931	PHA	P	41	2	47	0	1
1932	PHA	P	44	3	46	1	1
1933	PHA	P	45	9	58	2	5
1934	BOS	P	22	3	18	2	1
1935	BOS	P	35	1	63	2	6
1936	BOS	P	35	3	49	2	0
1937	BOS	P	32	6	43	1	1
1938	BOS	P	24	0	29	0	0
1939	BOS	P	23	0	21	3	2
1940	BOS	P	22	1	34	3	0
1941	BOS	P	21	2	17	3	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Lefty Grove Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	616

Awards & Honors

Lefty Grove — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1938	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P3
1937	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P3
1935	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P4
1933	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P1
1933	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P2
1932	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P1
1932	TSN All-Star	P
1931	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P1
1931	Most Valuable Player
1931	Pitching Triple Crown
1931	TSN All-Star	P
1930	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P4
1930	Pitching Triple Crown
1930	TSN All-Star	P
1929	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P1
1929	TSN All-Star	P
1928	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P4
1928	TSN All-Star	P
1927	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P4
1926	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P4

Award Voting History

Lefty Grove — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max
1939	Most Valuable Player	AL	15th	17.0	336
1938	Most Valuable Player	AL	21th	7.0	336
1936	Most Valuable Player	AL	15th	5.0	80
1935	Most Valuable Player	AL	14th	8.0	80
1933	Most Valuable Player	AL	5th	35.0	80
1932	Most Valuable Player	AL	14th	8.0	80
1931	Most Valuable Player	AL	1st	78.0	80
1926	Most Valuable Player	AL	8th	12.0	64

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Lefty Grove (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Lefty Grove

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Lefty Grove: the record in brief

April 14, 1925 and September 28, 1941 bracket Lefty Grove's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Grove played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1925 to 1933) and the Boston Red Sox (1934 to 1941). Grove, born on March 6, 1900, in Lonaconing, MD, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. Grove's listed size is 6'3" and 190 pounds. Grove died on May 22, 1975, in Norwalk, OH, USA. The bio lists the given name Robert Moses.

Grove's career pitching line is 300 wins, 141 losses and a 3.06 ERA over 616 appearances. Also on Grove's record: 2,266 strikeouts, 298 complete games, 35 shutouts, and 55 saves. Against a 4.28 league ERA for the same years, Grove was 28.5% better. No season topped the 31 wins of 1931. 1930 produced Grove's most strikeouts, 209. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.06 in 1931, when the league's was 4.10. Pitcher PIV, the site's era-adjusted run-prevention measure, totals 81,320.8 for Grove's career.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lefty Grove

What years did Lefty Grove play?: Lefty Grove played in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1941.
Was Lefty Grove a pitcher?: Yes. Lefty Grove pitched in the major leagues, recording 300 wins and 2266 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Lefty Grove hit?: Lefty Grove hit 15 career home runs with 202 hits.
Is Lefty Grove in the Hall of Fame?: Yes. Lefty Grove was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.
What teams did Lefty Grove play for?: Lefty Grove played for 2 teams: the Philadelphia Athletics (1925–1933) and the Boston Red Sox (1934–1941).
How many MVP awards did Lefty Grove win?: Lefty Grove won 1 MVP award, in 1931.
What awards did Lefty Grove win?: Lefty Grove won the MVP award (1931) and 2 pitching Triple Crowns (1930 and 1931). He was selected to 6 All-Star Games.
What were Lefty Grove's career stats?: In 616 games, Lefty Grove went 300-141 with a 3.06 ERA, 2,266 strikeouts, 3,940.2 innings pitched, and 55 saves. At the plate he had 202 hits and 15 home runs.
What position did Lefty Grove play?: Lefty Grove played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Lefty Grove and how much did he weigh?: Lefty Grove was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 190 pounds.
What was Lefty Grove's career ERA?: Lefty Grove finished with a 3.06 career ERA, going 300-141 with 2,266 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Lefty Grove have?: Lefty Grove recorded 2,266 career strikeouts.
How many All-Star Games did Lefty Grove make?: Lefty Grove was selected to 6 All-Star Games.