One Armed Pete Gray

[Tomi]

Watching Ken Burns Baseball and just amazing that in 1945 Pete Gray who only had one arm had 253 plate appearances and only struck out 11 times. Amazing that guys today strikeout at record levels yet this guy with one arm struck out at a lesser rate than today's best hitters. He only played one season but a very impressive statistic.

[doug.goodman]

Thank you for the chance to show off my Pete Gray photos

[roarfrom34]

It's a long story but I had the honor of meeting Pete Gray outside his home in Nanticoke (PA) in November of 1995 & he was very generous in signing a few items for me, including his biography & a 8x10:

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Long story for me, too. I spent a couple of days in Nanticoke in the 1990's trying to meet Pete Gray, but it never happened. I felt like I met the rest of the town in the process. While Pete eluded me at every turn, as he tried to do any time somebody wanted to meet him, I had the opportunity to learn lots about the man from friends and family. He was private, and had suffered break-ins from local punks, so I just hoped to run into him as opposed to being too bold in my attempt.

He lived in his childhood home and never had his own telephone. I'm talking land line, here!

Nanticoke was a likeable, working class town back then. Apparently the whole area is now a mess thanks to Oxycontin and the like. Same, sad story in so many parts of the nation.

[Hankphenom]

One of the truly astonishing and inspirational stories in baseball. Likewise Bert Shepard, who pitched a game for the Nats with a wooden leg. I got to meet him in the mid-1990s.

[Collectorsince62]

So glad to see this thread. Yes it was a war year, but still a great story. Here is the scorecard from Pete Gray's major league debut on 4/17/45. Tough assignment against Hal Newhouser, the AL MVP in both 1944 and 1945. The defending AL champion Browns, in front of only 4,000 fans, beat up on Newhouser and the Tigers 7-1. Gray was hitless in three AB's against Hall of Famer Prince Hal, but managed a single late in the game and scored a run.

Gray played only one season, and his '45 Browns won 81 games. He ended the year with more RBI's and walks than strikeouts . . . swinging with one arm!

The photo montage shows Gray's fielding process.

[Leon]

Thanks for sharing, guys. Pete was something else....Hard to imagine.
.

[aelefson]

Very cool items! I have a snapshot that might be Pete during a tryout with St Louis. Mine says Ed Gray and it also says Cardinals, so I really do not know. There was an Ed Gray who pitched but he was too young for this photo while the timeframe for Pete would be correct regarding tryouts (however Wikipedia states Pete's tryout was with the Browns, not the Cardinals).

Alan

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

As a Canadian, I'm happy that Pete got his start in pro ball up here in the then-Class B Provincial League with the Trois-Rivieres (Quebec) Foxes. Baseball-Reference lists his first season as being 1942, but they're apparently incorrect, as this 1938 team ball shows. I was very fortunate to find this on eBay many years ago. It came with a RPPC team photo. Pete's empty jacket sleeve is tucked into his pocket if I recall. I don't seem to have a scan of it to share right now, but here's the ball.

[jingram058]

Here is my 1943 Memphis Chicks ball cap.

[brianp-beme]

Pete Gray had a very impressive statistical year in 'A' league ball in 1944 with Memphis:

129 games
501 At Bats
119 Runs
167 hits
21 doubles
9 triples
5 home runs
60 rbi's
68 stolen bases
44 base on balls
12 strikeouts
.333 batting average
.441 slugging percentage
.828 on base percentage

Even though just 'A' ball, it still is a very decent line for a contact hitter. With his 68 stolen bases he evidently had great speed, which may account for the 5 home runs...I wonder if he hit any over the fence. If I were to swing one-handed I doubt I would be able to grip the bat hard enough to get the ball out of the infield. Just an incredible athletic feat, which doesn't even include the obstacles he had to overcome playing outfield.

Brian