Jim 'Mudcat' Grant, Minnesota Twins Great, Dies at 85

Longtime MLB pitcher Jim "Mudcat" Grant has died at the age of 85.

The Minnesota Twins, who Grant spent four seasons with from 1964-67, announced his death on Twitter on Saturday:

Grant spent 14 seasons as an MLB pitcher, playing primarily for Cleveland and the Twins before spending time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates.

In 571 career regular-season appearances, including 293 starts, Grant went 145-119 with a 3.63 ERA, 89 complete games, 54 saves and 1,267 strikeouts over 2,442 innings pitched.

Grant was named an All-Star for the first time in 1963 with Cleveland, but it was his second and final All-Star season in 1965 that is best remembered.

He posted a 21-7 record with a 3.30 ERA that season, resulting in a sixth-place finish in the American League MVP voting. Grant also became the first Black pitcher in American League history to win 20 or more games in a season.

Grant helped lead the Twins to the World Series that season, going 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA in three World Series starts, although Minnesota fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.

In addition to being the winning pitcher in Game 6 of that series, Grant hit a three-run home run in the game and helped force a decisive Game 7.

While he was primarily a starter during the first half of his career, Grant became a reliable reliever in his later seasons, posting a 1.86 ERA and 24 saves in 1970 with the A's and Pirates.

Grant was also a solid hitter for a pitcher, accruing a lifetime batting average of .178 with six home runs and 65 RBI.

Following his retirement as an active player at the conclusion of the 1971 season, Grant went on to serve as a broadcaster for Cleveland and the A's, and he was also part of Cleveland's front office.