Ray Grimes

Oscar Ray Grimes Sr.

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 168 lb.

• Debut September 24, 1920
• Final Game August 12, 1926
• Born September 11, 1893 in Bergholz, OH USA
• Died May 25, 1953 in Minerva, OH USA

BR page

Biographical Information

First baseman Ray Grimes was the twin brother of second baseman Roy Grimes and the father of infielder Oscar Grimes. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Grimes holds the all-time major league record for the longest streak of consecutive games with at least one RBI: 17 games in a row in 1922. Mike Piazza, with a 15-game streak in 2000, came closer than anyone else has to matching Grimes' streak. The only streaks of 14 games were by Tris Speaker in 1928 and Jorge Cantu in 2009-2010.

In a short major league career, Ray was a pretty impressive hitter. He was second in batting average in the 1922 National League at .354 (distantly behind Rogers Hornsby's .401). He was also second in OBP, SLG, doubles and OPS+ that year. In 1921 he was fifth in OBP, fourth in doubles and third in walks. While he played many fewer games in 1923 and 1924, his OBP was over .400 each year in an environment where the league average OBP was around .340.

Ray played several seasons in the Eastern League before coming to the majors, and after his major league days played several more years in the minors. In 1926 he played for the Toledo Mud Hens under manager Casey Stengel. In 1930, the 36-year-old Grimes played for the Atlanta Crackers as a teammate of the 23-year-old Luke Appling. As a major leaguer, Grimes' main teammates were Pete Alexander, Bob O'Farrell and Charlie Hollocher.

Ray and his brother Roy were both in the majors in 1920.

Related Sites

• Ray Grimes at the SABR Bio Project