Friday, April 17, 2009

1989 Topps Major League Debut #47: Jason Grimsley



Jason Grimsley

PHOTO: This is another nice-looking card, thanks in large part to the fact that the Phillies spring training jerseys nicely match the border used for this set.

STAT: How the hell did Grimsley give up 2 hits and 3 walks while recording only 3 outs in the 2000 ALCS without giving up a run? Well in this game he gave up 1 of each with 2 out sin the ninth and then recorded the final out. And then there was this game, from Bizarro world. Grimsley comes in with one out after Denny Neagle gives up a run-scoring single and back-to-back homers. He proceeds to go single, fly ball out, wild pitch, walk, walk to load the bases, and then gets pulled. Then, in a strange parallel universe, Dwight Gooden comes in to strike out Rickey Henderson, playing for the Mariners. Weird.

CAREER: 4/10

Oh Jason, Jason, Jason...

First, let's talk about his actual playing career. He was not a very good starter from 1989 to 1996, but then disappeared for a few years and resurfaced as a pretty darn good reliever from 1999 to 2004, mostly with the Yankees and the Royals.

But Grimsley has always been better known for his off-the-field explots.

First it was something totally innocent: getting traded from Houston for Curt Schilling, a total steal for the Phillies.

But then he was implicated in a scandal involving Albert Belle's bat, which he allegedly removed from the umpires' changing room (where it had been placed after confiscation over suspected corking) by climbing through ductwork in the clubhouse.

That seems almost funny by comparison to his later naming in the Mitchell report as a main user of illegal drugs.

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