Baseball World Mourns Death Of Lacoochee's Most Famous Resident

LACOOCHEE, FL — Today, its population totals 1,485. There were even fewer people living in the northeast Pasco County town of Lacoochee when Jim "Mudcat" Grant was growing up there, spending most of his childhood playing stickball on the town's dirt (and often muddy) roads.

Now the town that produced the baseball legend is remembering him following his death Saturday at the age of 85.

Born James Timothy Grant Jr., he said he never owned a baseball or as a boy and the one glove he had was a hand-me-down from his friend, Fats Richardson.

Despite those humble beginnings, Grant made his way into the national spotlight and history books when he became the first Black pitcher in Major League Baseball history to win 20 games in a single season and helped lead the Minnesota Twins to the 1965 World Series where they faced off against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

During the sixth game of the World Series, Grant hit his only homer of that season but it was a home run that reverberated around the country. It gave the Twins a 5-1 win and forced the continuation of the series. The Twins eventually lost, but Grant's contribution went into the history books.

Grant said he was surprised at the time by the notoriety showered on him.

“I didn’t know there was never an African-American pitcher who won 20 games in the American League," he said in an interview with the MLB. "As the season progressed, I started getting all kinds of mail, and even Howard Cosell called me a couple times when I got to 18 wins. So, it was really special.”

“Though he spent just four years of his 14-year career with the Twins, Mudcat remained a beloved member of our organization well into his retirement and was a frequent visitor with fans and staff alike at Twinsfest,” said the Twins in a statement. “We send our condolences to the entire Grant family, as well as the other organizations impacted by his 60-plus years in and around the baseball world.”

After falling in love with the sport on the streets of his hometown, Grant formalized his love of baseball as a member of the Negro town team, the Lacoochee Nine Devils, which regularly beat the big-city teams from Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Teammates included James Oliver, the father of Nate "Peewee" Oliver, who went on to play for the San Francisco Giants, and Grant's own uncle, Thadeus Black.

Grant was only 18 years old in 1958 when he signed to play with Cleveland. He went on to play with seven ball clubs during his 14-year playing career.

On Grant's website, his biographer, Frank Deford, quotes Grant on his pitching style.

"Fortunately," Grant said, "I don't have to depend on any one pitch each time. I have a very good fastball, a very good curve, a very good sinker and a very good razzafratz."

Even after retiring his jersey, Grant never left the sport. He went on to become an advocate for more participation in baseball by Black players.

In 2006, he published a book called “The Black Aces" in which he chronicled the lives of the first Black 20-game winners in MLB history with the help of authors Tom Sabellico and Pat O’Brien.

Although he never played in the Negro Baseball League, he was a major supporter of the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, attending the annual Hall of Game ceremony and entertaining the crowds at dinner events singing the blues.

In a tribute to Grant, Major League Baseball writer Bill Ladson said he and museum president Bob Kendrick became close friends.

“It always hurts anytime that we lose these legends of the game, friends that have been so close to you and supportive of you like Jim Mudcat Grant,” Kendrick told Ladson. “He understood that his presence was going to be beneficial to helping the Negro League Baseball Museum. He was constantly encouraging other black pitchers so they can become part of the group. He wanted more of them.”

Kendrick met Grant through the legendary Buck O’Neil, the founder of the NLBM. Kendrick often attended the annual Jim "Mudcat" Grant All-Star Golf Tournament in Binghamton, New York,

In return, Kendrick often attended the annual Jim “Mudcat” Grant All-Star Golf Tournament in Binghamton, New York.

Grant started the tournament in 2002 to raise funds for underprivileged youth. Each year, approximately 35 professional athletes and other celebrities come to Binghamton to participate in this tournament.

“Every time you do those kinds of things, it is literally like a family reunion,” Kendrick said. “It was about us trying to give back a fraction to what he gave all of us. So, yes, I’m taking the news [of Grant’s death] a little hard, even though I knew that his health was declining. It doesn’t make it any easier.”

After retiring from baseball, Grant became a broadcaster for both the Indians and the A's and pursued his second love - singing. His band, Mudcat and the Kittens, performed with Count Basie, Duke Ellington and even made a national appearance on television shows hosted by Johnny Carson and Mike Douglas.