Former major league pitcher and one-time Minnesota Twins pitcher Joseph Charles Grzenda, 82, of Covington Twp, PA. passed away on Friday, July 12, 2019 at home. Grzenda was born on June 8, 1937 in Scranton, PA. the son of the late Joseph C. and Josephine (Jankowski) Grzenda. Joe Grzenda graduated from Moosic High School in Greenwood in 1955 and went on to serve in the U.S. Army.
The left-handed Grezenda was first signed in 1955 as an amateur free agent by the Detroit Tigers and worked his way up the Tigers minor league system playing in D, B, AA and AAA ball before finally getting his shot in the big leagues with the Tigers in 1961.
Grzenda’s shot at the big leagues might have come much sooner as the Tigers intended to give Grzenda a long look during Spring Training in 1959. Life however; intervened that winter when Grzenda came down with a case of appendicitis, delaying the start of his workouts. Trying to make up for lost time, Grzenda pushed himself too hard and injured his pitching arm.
The early-career arm injury cost Grzenda, who would never regain the popping fastball that he had shown in his first few minor league seasons. As a result of the setback with his arm, he would not make the Tigers’ roster until two years later. No longer a prized prospect by 1961, Grzenda had to settle for a role pitching relief for the Tigers.
Grzenda made his major league debut at Tiger Stadium on April 26 in a game against the New York Yankees with the (8-1) Tigers up 11-8 after 7 innings. At that point Tigers manager Bob Scheffing brought in the rookie Grzenda to pitch the 8th inning and Grzenda retired the first batter, Yogi Berra, but allowed a single to Bobby Richardson and a double to Tony Kubek putting runners at second and third. That was it for Grzenda and Jim Donohue was brought in by the Tigers and he too retired the first batter for out number two but then Mickey Mantle stepped to the plate and Donohue threw a wild pitch scoring Richardson and Mantle followed with a two-run homer and the game was suddenly tied. The Yankees scored two more runs in the ninth inning and went on to win the game 13-11. Grzenda pitched for the Tigers in just four games in 1961 but he was awarded his first big league win on May 7 at Comiskey Park when the Tigers came back to win the game.
The Detroit Tigers released Grzenda on July 31, 1963 and he signed the following spring (1964) with the Kansas City Athletics. Grzenda split his time between the A’s and the minor leagues in 1964-1967. In August of 1967 the A’s traded “Shaky Joe” Grzenda to the New York Mets and he spent the rest of 1967 with the Mets. Bruce Markusen wrote the following about Grzenda’s nickname in a blog he wrote for the MLB Hall of Fame-
Given his distinctive looks, it should come as no surprise that Grzenda’s nickname was “Shaky Joe.” He was known for being a whirl of nervous energy, a pitcher who seemed to be in perpetual motion. During his playing days, Grzenda drank two pots of coffee a day, and also had a reputation as a chain smoker, one who could plow through three packs of “Lucky Strikes” cigarettes in a 24-hour span.
The latter habit was most evident on days when Grzenda pitched. Sometimes he would light a cigarette in the dugout and start smoking, then leave the lit cigarette on the bench as he returned to the mound. Working at a frenetic pace that would have made Jim Kaat proud, Grzenda would try to finish off the opposing hitters as quickly as possible so that he could return to the dugout and finish the task of smoking the cigarette. Given all of this activity, it was no wonder that Grzenda sometimes appeared to be visibly shaking, even as he was catching a few breaths in the dugout.
Grzenda’s nervous exterior becomes more understandable when we examine his upbringing. He grew up in rural Pennsylvania, the son a coal miner. His father was a strict disciplinarian, a man who showed little patience with others and who often applied corporal punishment to his son.
In November of 1967 the Minnesota Twins traded Mel Nelson to the New York Mets to acquire Joe Grzenda in a minor league deal. Grzenda spent 1968 in AAA Denver with Billy Martin at the helm and appeared in 56 games throwing 86 innings and was a standout “stopper” posting a 5-8 record with 15 saves and a 3.14 ERA. Martin liked Grzenda and when he was named the Twins manager he brought Joe Grzenda with him. Strangely enough Grzenda was the losing pitcher in the 1969 season opener on April 8th as the Twins were walked off 4-3 by the new Kansas City Royals in 12 innings at Municipal Stadium and was the winning pitcher in the 1969 regular season finale on October 2nd when the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 6-5 at Met Stadium. Grzenda appeared in game 3 of the 1969 ALCS and retired Boog Powell and Frank Robinson, the only two batters he faced. On March 21, 1970 the Twins traded Grzenda along with pitcher Charlie Walters to the Washington Senators for outfielder Brant Alyea.
Grzenda pitched for the Washington Senators in 1970 and 1971. One of the interesting points in Grzenda’s career took place late in 1971. Senators owner Bob Short delivered a major announcement, making it publicly known that he planned to move the team to Texas. It was a decision that angered the fans in Washington. As luck would have it, Manager Ted Williams called on Grzenda to take the mound in the ninth inning of the seasons final game. With the Senators holding a 7-5 lead against the New York Yankees, Grzenda entered the game in the ninth. He retired Felipe Alou on a routine grounder and then handled Bobby Murcer, who bounced back to Grzenda. He was now one out away. A fast worker to begin with, Grzenda also sensed that there was discord among the fans in attendance at RFK Stadium. So he yelled out to the next Yankees batters, Horace Clarke, telling him to hurry up and assume his place in the batter’s box.
The fans however; were storming the field and a group of fans surrounded the mound and Grzenda fled the mound for the safety of the clubhouse. The rioting by the fans kept Grzenda from throwing another pitch that night. With thousands of fans scattered throughout the field, which was now rendered unplayable, the umpires called the game a forfeit, giving the Yankees a victory. According to the forfeit rule, the game was scored officially as a 9-0 Yankee victory. For Grzenda, there would be no chance to save the final game of the Senators. Amidst the chaos, Grzenda was wise enough to hold onto the ball that he had thrown for the final pitch. He took the ball home with him and placed it in a drawer with some other memorabilia, keeping it there for nearly three and a half decades.
Grzenda enjoyed playing for Ted Williams and hoped to be part of the relocated franchise but after Grzenda went home to resume his offseason job as a deputy sheriff in in Daleville, Pa., he received a call from St. Louis Cardinals general manager Bing Devine. “Welcome to the club,” Devine told Grzenda, informing him that had just been traded to the Cardinals in exchange for utility infielder Ted Kubiak.
In the spring of 2005, the newly relocated Washington Nationals tried to rectify the situation. Fresh off their move from Montreal, the newly minted Nationals invited Grzenda to participate in their inaugural Opening Day ceremony, scheduled for the old RFK Stadium. It was an idea that had been suggested by Grzenda’s son. Both the Nationals and the elder Grzenda agreed to the suggestion. When the Nationals asked him to participate in ‘05, Grzenda produced the ball from the 1971 finale and brought it back to RFK. Grzenda walked from the Nationals’ dugout toward the infield, handing the ball off to President George W. Bush, who was in attendance for the Nationals’ opener. The President then threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
All in all Joe Grzenda spent 20 years playing professional baseball which turned out much better than the coal mining job that awaited him had he not played ball. Grzenda pitched in 711 games, 219 (3 big league starts) of them in the big leagues with the Tigers, KC Athletics, Mets, Twins, Senators and Cardinals. His career record was 14-13 with 14 Saves and a 4.00 ERA. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall and the Birmingham Barons Hall of Fame.
After his playing days, Grzenda went to work for a company called Gould Battery. He also ran for county commissioner near his hometown, but lost the election.
Joseph enjoyed deer hunting, walking Lake Scranton, completing crossword puzzles and helping his family with any tasks they need help with. Most importantly, he loved spending time with his family making memories.
In addition to his wife Ruth, Joseph is survived by his son: Joseph Charles Grzenda, Jr. and his wife Donna Sue of Wapwallopen and his daughter: Donna Marie Bonczewski and her husband Casimir of Covington Twp; his brother: Robert Grzenda and his wife Regina of Moosic; his grandchildren: Jessica Marie Pawelzik and her husband Walter, Alyssa Rae Bonczewski and Joseph Charles Grzenda, III & many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sisters: Dorothy Wall & Phyllis Kowaleski and his brother: Paul Grzenda.
Thank you for the memories Joe Grzenda. We at Twins Trivia would like to share our condolences with the Grzenda family and friends.
#CARDCORNER: 1969 TOPPS JOE GRZENDA