Jim ‘Mudcat’ Grant the first Black pitcher in American League history to win 20 games, has died at the age of 85. The Minnesota Twins, for whom Grant pitched for four of his 14 major league seasons, announced his passing on Saturday.
Grant was a two-sport athlete at FAMU – football and baseball – but he was unable to graduate because of financial reasons. In the Major Leagues, he went 145-119 with an ERA of 3.63 in 293 starts and 278 relief appearances. Along the way, Grant made two All-Star teams and in 1965 with Minnesota authored that history-making 21-win season. That same year, he also finished sixth in the American League MVP balloting. Additionally, Grant had strong numbers across two postseasons, with the Twins in 1965 and with the Oakland A’s in 1971, the final year of his MLB career.
Grant was born in 1935 in Lacoochee, Florida. Not long after to drop out of college, he signed with the Cleveland Indians signed. By 1958, he’d made the majors for good. In addition to playing for Cleveland and the Twins, Grant also spent time in the with the Dodgers, Expos, A’s, Cardinals, and Pirates.