Don Grate facts for kids

Donald "Don" Grate (born August 27, 1923, died November 22, 2014) was an amazing American athlete. He played two major professional sports: baseball and basketball!

In baseball, Don was a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. He played seven games for them in 1945 and 1946. In basketball, he played as a small forward or shooting guard for the Sheboygan Redskins in the NBA. He played two games for them during the 1949–1950 season. Don was about 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 180 pounds.

College Sports Star

Don Grate was born in Greenfield, Ohio. People often called him "Buckeye." He was a fantastic athlete at the Ohio State University. He was a star in both baseball and basketball in 1944 and 1945.

Baseball at Ohio State

As a pitcher for the Buckeyes, Don was very good at striking out batters. He had 95 strikeouts in just 89 innings pitched. He also gave up very few walks, only 25.

Basketball at Ohio State

In basketball, Don was chosen as an all-Big Ten player twice. He also earned All-America honors in his senior year. He scored 272 points in 21 games that season. Don was the captain of the 1944 team. He led the Buckeyes to win their conference championship. In 1996, Don Grate was honored. He was added to the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame.

Playing Professional Baseball

Don Grate was famous for his strong throwing arm in baseball. He could throw a ball an amazing 445 feet! He played for the Phillies in his first two professional seasons. In both 1945 and 1946, he also played for their minor league team. This team was the Utica Blue Sox in the Eastern League.

Early Games with the Phillies

In 1945, Don had a tough start with the Phillies. He gave up 16 runs and 18 hits in just over 8 innings. But he kept working hard!

Success in 1946

In 1946, Don won 14 games for the Utica team. This success led to him being called up to the Major Leagues again in September. This time, he pitched much better. He pitched three shutout innings as a relief in his first two games. On September 22, he earned his only Major League Baseball win. This was against the New York Giants. In his last big-league game, he pitched five innings and only allowed one run.

Overall, in seven MLB games, Don pitched 16 and one-third innings. He allowed 22 hits and 17 earned runs. He also had 14 walks and eight strikeouts.

Long Minor League Career

Don Grate had a long career in the minor leagues. He played for 13 seasons, from 1945 to 1957. As a pitcher, he won 50 games and lost 38. In 1951, he changed positions. He became an outfielder and third baseman. This was because he was a very good hitter. He often had a batting average over .300. This means he got a hit more than 30% of the time he was at bat.

Playing Professional Basketball

Besides baseball, Don Grate also played professional basketball. He played for the Indianapolis Kautskys in the National Basketball League. Later, he played two games for the Sheboygan Red Skins in the NBA during the 1949–1950 season. In those games, he made one field goal and scored two points.

Career Statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season