Veteran's Day: Two players with Phillies ties died in the 'War to End All Wars'

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Nearly 117,000 Americans died fighting in World War I

Today is Veteran’s Day, when we honor those who have served in the American military, past and present. This year, Veteran’s Day just happens to fall on the 100th anniversary of the ending of World War I.

The “War to End All Wars” famously came to a close when an armistice was signed among the combatants at the “11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” in 1918 after more than four bloody years of battle.

Nearly 10 million died and more than 20 million more were injured among the combined armed forces of the Allied powers, which included the United States, and the Central powers led by the German Empire. Over 7.5 million civilians were also killed on the combined sides.

Major League Baseball teams were not immune from the casualties. Large numbers of players fought in the war, and a number of them never returned home.

Among those killed were two men with ties to the Philadelphia Phillies organization, Eddie Grant and Bun Troy.

Grant was born on May 21, 1883 in Franklin, Maine. He was nicknamed “Harvard Eddie” for the simple reason that he was a graduate of that prestigious Ivy League institution.

After signing with the Cleveland Naps (now Indians) in 1905, Grant made his big-league debut with them, appearing in two games that year. He was ultimately released, signed on with Jersey City of the Eastern League, and then had his contract purchased by the Phillies in August 1906.

Gant would play for the next four seasons as a regular with the Phillies, appearing in 527 games as the team’s starting third baseman. The team produced a winning record in three of his four seasons from 1907-10. He led all of baseball in at-bats in both 1908 and 1909, and in plate appearances in 1909.

On November 12, 1910 the Phillies packaged Grant along with starting center fielder Johnny Bates and solid pitchers Lew Moren and George McQuillan to the Cincinnati Reds.

In exchange the Phillies received Hans Lobert and Dode Paskert, who proved to be upgrades at the hot corner and in center field, as well as a pair of pitchers who never really panned out in Fred Beebe and Jack Rowan.

Then in June 1913, Grant had his contract purchased by the New York Giants. This led to his lone World Series appearance. That fall he got to pinch-run in the top of the 10th inning of Game 2 at Shibe Park against Connie Mack‘s Philadelphia Athletics.

MLB Has Long History of U.S. Military Service

There is a long history of service in the United States military by MLB players. Today is Veteran’s Day, and it is appropriate to remember, honor, and thank them and all those who have served honorably.

Perhaps the earliest well-known individual with ties to baseball who served in the American military was Abner Doubleday.

The mythical founder of the game, Doubleday was a West Point graduate. He served in the Mexican and Seminole Indian Wars, and was at Fort Sumter when it was attacked at the start of the Civil War.

John Grimes was much more veteran than ballplayer. He served for 30 years in the U.S. Army, retiring at the rank of Captain. His military service spanned from the Sioux Indian Campaign through the Spanish-American War and into World War I.

Grimes appeared in the big leagues for one 1897 season with the St. Louis Browns when he went 0-2 while pitching in three games.

Doug Allison, a Philadelphia native, played for a decade in the big leagues from 1871-79 and then in 1883. It was noted that he became at least partially deaf during his service in the Civil War.

Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Pete Alexander is quoted that John Titus“had one of the best batting eyes I ever saw.” Titus played 11 seasons, including a decade from 1903-12 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War.

Philography: Grover Cleveland Alexander

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Grover Cleveland 'Pete' Alexander led the Phillies to the 1915 NL championship

As told by Jan Finkel in a biography of Grover Cleveland Alexander at the SABR website, he was "the only ballplayer named for a sitting United States president and portrayed on film by a future one."

In the 1952 biopic film "The Winning Team", Ronald Reagan portrayed Alexander, with Doris Day playing Alexander's wife, Aimee. It told his story from his amateur into pro days, and his battles through alcoholism and epilepsy.

U.S. President Grover Cleveland is the only Chief Executive to have served for two non-consecutive terms (1885-89, 1893-97), and thus he is considered both the nation's 22nd and 24th President.

The ballplayer was born into a large family in a Nebraska farming community. He began to show prowess as a baseball pitcher in his youth, and took a job with a company stringing telephone lines, pitching on weekends for local club teams.

In 1909 at age 22, Alexander hooked on with his first pro team, signing with the Galesburg Boosters of what was then known as the Class 'D' Illinois-Missouri League.

He went 15-8, but his season was ended, and nearly his career, when he was struck in the head by a thrown ball while running the bases. He recovered, and in 1910 had a dominant 29-11 record for the Class 'B' Syracuse Stars.

His performances in Syracuse caught the eye of major league scouts, and Philadelphia Phillies owner/president Israel Durham approved the purchase of his contract. 

At age 24, Alexander made his Phillies debut in the 1911 season, and his dominance continued there against the best competition in the land. He went 28-13 with 7 Shutouts and 31 Complete Games as a rookie.