Jason Grimsley

Jason Alan Grimsley (born August 7, 1967) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for seven teams during a 15-year career.

He was selected 10th round (252nd overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies of the 1985 June amateur Baseball draft.

Like many relief pitchers, Grimsley began his career as a starting pitcher.

But he became a full-time reliever while a member of the Yankees.

Grimsley began his career in 1989 and surrendered 13 runs in 18 innings.

The following year, he went 3–2 and made 11 starts.

In 1991, Grimsley went 1–7 with a 4.87 ERA in 12 starts.

Following the 1991 season, he was traded to the Houston Astros for Curt Schilling.

Grimsley spent the entire 1992 season in the minors and on March 30, 1993, was released by Houston and signed with the Cleveland Indians.

In his first season with Cleveland, he went 3–4 over 10 games, and in 1994, went 5–2 with a 4.57 ERA in 14 games.

Grimsley is known for his leading role in the 1994 Bat Burglary involving Albert Belle and an allegedly corked bat that was taken away by umpires for examination by the league.

Grimsley was the player who crawled through a Comiskey Park air conditioning duct to reach the room where the confiscated bat had been secured.

He took the corked bat and replaced it with a clean bat.

Not accounted for in this plan, however, was the fact that Belle's bat had his name on it, and the replacement had teammate Paul Sorrento's name on it instead, leading to the heist being caught before the end of the day.

The incident made ESPN.com's "Biggest Cheaters in Baseball" list at number 4.

The next season, Grimsley was used mostly as a reliever, making only two starts.

Following the season, on February 14, 1996, he was traded to the Angels.

Grimsley went 5–7 with a 6.84 ERA in 1996 while making a career-high 20 starts.

On October 8, he was granted free agency.

Grimsley signed with the Tigers on January 17, 1997, but was released following spring training.

On April 3, he signed with the Brewers and on July 29, was traded to the Royals for Jamie Brewington.

Grimsley was granted free agency on October 15.

On January 8, 1998, he signed with the Cleveland Indians.

Grimsley did not appear in a major league game that year and was granted free agency on October 15.

He was a member of both the 1999 and 2000 World Series champion New York Yankees.

Jason attended Tarkington High School in Cleveland, Texas.

Grimsley signed with the Yankees on January 26, 1999.

With the Yankees, he rebounded, going 7–2 with a 3.60 ERA in 55 relief outings.

Grimsley did not pitch in the 1999 American League Division Series or the 1999 American League Championship Series, but pitched 2 1⁄3 innings of two-hit, two-walk ball in the 1999 World Series.

In 2000, he was 3–2 with a 5.04 ERA.

In the 2000 ALCS, he pitched one scoreless inning and earned his second World Series ring when the Yankees defeated the Mets in five games despite not pitching in the World Series.

On November 20, he was released by the Yankees.

Grimsley signed with the Royals on January 19, 2001.

In his first season in Kansas City, he was 1–5.

He was 1–5 in 2001, 4–7 in 2002, and 2–6 in 2003.

Grimsley also gave up the home run to Scott Hatteberg that gave the Oakland Athletics their 20th straight win in 2002, as depicted in the film Moneyball.

On October 29, 2003, he was granted free agency, but re-signed on December 7.

In three and a half years in Kansas City, Grimsley never posted a record better than .500 (he was 3–3 in 2004).

In 2004, Grimsley went 3–3 with a 3.38 ERA before being traded on June 21 to the Orioles for Denny Bautista.

Grimsley went 2–4 in 2004 with Baltimore.