Jim Mudcat Grant (1935-2021) was one of many players featured on collectible coins made by Topps and included in packs of baseball cards.
A right handed pitcher who played for the Cleveland Indians (1958-64,) Minnesota Twins (1964-67,) Los Angeles Dodgers (1968,) Montreal Expos (1969,) St. Louis Cardinals (1969,) Oakland Athletics (1970, 1971), and PIttsburgh Pirates (1970-71,) Grant was the first African American in the American League to win 20 games in a season (1965.)
A two-time All-Star, Mudcat also became the first African American to pitch for an American League team in a World Series (Twins, 1965.)
Also emembered for being the Montreal Expo's first opening day pitcher (1969.) Grant compiled a a lifetime 145-119 win-loss record with a 3.63 earned run average.
Following his career, Grant remained in sports in publicity and broadcasting, and authored the book Black Aces, Baseball's Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners (2007.)
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